Improving Dissemination of a Retail Workplace Violence Prevention Program

Details

• Personal Author:
  Casteel C ; Nocera M ; Peek-Asa, Corinne ; Strazza K
• Description:
  Workers in the retail industry are at high risk for workplace homicide and nonfatal assault, and many of these events occur during a robbery. Evidence-based programs to reduce robbery and related crimes have shown great success in retail and service settings. However, many small business operators will either decline participation in these programs or not comply with program recommendations. The objective of this translational research study was to identify methods of disseminating an evidence-based robbery and violence prevention program to small retail businesses to improve program implementation. The specific aims were to: 1. identify business operator preferences for the design, delivery and marketing of an evidence-based robbery and violence prevention program, 2. understand how business operators determine that they do not need to participate in a robbery and violence prevention program, and 3. examine the extent to which social support from existing social networks can play a role in influencing the behavior of business operators to participate in and implement an evidence-based robbery and violence prevention program. The completed work builds on two NIOSH-funded projects, where six police departments disseminated an evidence-based program (called "Crime Free Business" [CFB]) to small, independently-owned retail establishments at high risk for robbery and robbery-related crimes. Three populations of business operators, representing various phases of CFB implementation, were selected from the six police department jurisdictions. Business operators were interviewed to identify factors that could influence their use of CFB, including the identification of community influentials that may lend credibility and acceptability to the program, and therefore promote greater program uptake. Individuals identified as community influentials were then interviewed to identify how they may support outreach efforts. Interviews with Business Operators (n=70) and Community Influentials (n=32) yielded information about engaging operators in workplace violence prevention programs (WVPPs) from two overarching perspectives. Business Operator perspective: the immediate consumer of the WVPP. Community Influentials' perspective: people in organizations that serve, regulate, and market products and services to operators. Small business operators that tend to be at elevated risk of workplace violence also tend to experience barriers to participating in preventive programs, including limited time, staffing limitations, and low levels of concern about the risks and consequences of workplace violence. To overcome these barriers, this research suggests certain strategies that business operators and organizations that interface directly with them recommend. First, the WVPP itself should include training sessions offered at convenient times for business operators and near the business establishment, or using alternative delivery modes, such as web-based training. Promotional messages about a WVPP should emphasize the prevention and safety benefits of program participation, as well as the risks and negative consequences of workplace violence. These messages should be distributed primarily through peer business-operator networks via referrals and endorsements, particularly from business operators who are engaged and respected in their communities. Repeated exposure to these messages at multiple time points, from other business operators and influential groups (e.g., trade associations, law enforcement, and community/neighborhood groups) may be most effective for reaching the priority audience. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Occupational Health Safety Small Business Violence Workplace
• Keywords:
  Assaults Homicides Injury Prevention Retail Workers Small Businesses Translational Research Workplace Violence
• Series:
  Grant Final Reports
• Publisher:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Final Grant Report
• Place as Subject:
  Iowa ; North Carolina ; OSHA Region 4 ; OSHA Region 7
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  OEP - Office of Extramural Programs
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  1-114
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20054556
• NTIS Accession Number:
  PB2019-100564
• Citation:
  Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, R03-OH-010058, 2014 Nov; :1-114
• Contact Point Address:
  Carri Casteel, PhD, University of Iowa, Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, 145 Riverside Drive, S314 CPHB, Iowa City, IA 52242
• Email:
  casteel@uiowa.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2015
• NORA Priority Area:
  Wholesale and Retail Trade
• Performing Organization:
  University of North Carolina Chapel Hill
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  20110901
• Source Full Name:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• End Date:
  20140831
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:19d7e445356c98fb44254e5257fc6b9df991e20a8f7b07b799298d997b1b405a3d6447d1b40d4fc8477c2ab19718503be6aa16b4be3623ccd17157a48b403a61
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/218818/cdc_218818_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 1.12 MB ]