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Exposure Puts Utility Workers at Risk
Author(s) -
DeNileon Gay Porter
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
opflow
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1551-8701
pISSN - 0149-8029
DOI - 10.1002/j.1551-8701.2004.tb01751.x
Subject(s) - business , occupational safety and health , workplace violence , work (physics) , service (business) , administration (probate law) , public relations , human factors and ergonomics , poison control , marketing , environmental health , medicine , engineering , political science , law , mechanical engineering
This article states that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) particularly singles out water utility employees as a class of workers who are at “increased risk” for workplace violence because they deliver services, often work alone or in small groups (sometimes in high‐crime areas), and may exchange money with the public. The article says that billing service staff, meter readers, and field staff who make house calls to investigate customer complaints or install services are all vulnerable to irate customers, and that staff responsible for shutting off water services are the most likely to enter a hostile environment. Statistics on workplace violence are given, along with a list of warning signs of violence‐prone behavior for co‐workers to be aware of. Suggestions on how to handle volatile situations are given, along with recommendations from OSHA on how to decrease the potential for problem situations.