The last thing the average office employee thinks about when going to work is encountering a violent situation. Yet, workplace violence has become one of the leading causes of occupational injury in America. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, there were 709 workplace homicides in 1998, accounting for 12 percent of the total 6,026 fatal work injuries in the United States.

The Center for Dispute Resolution at DePaul University will equip corporate representatives with the skills necessary to avert and manage workplace violence during a two-day seminar, “Managing Violence in the Workplace,” Nov. 6 and 7 at the DePaul Center, 1 E. Jackson Blvd., from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day.

“The way companies normally reply when there is a threat of violence in the workplace is to gather together representatives from such departments as security, legal and human resources and then sweat it out,” said Douglas A. Graham, a senior labor and employment attorney for Commonwealth Edison, who will conduct the workshop. “We want to help businesses set up a plan so that everyone knows how to deal with violence in an orchestrated manner before it happens.”

The seminar, which will employ panel discussions with experts, lectures and interactive scenarios, will help participants understand the legal obligations businesses have under federal and state OSHA laws to establish violence prevention programs, and summarize employment laws designed to protect potentially violent individuals during the hiring, corrective action and termination processes.

The course will approach the workplace violence problem from multiple perspectives including medical, legal, human resources, corporate communications, operations and security. It also will help participants develop a model workplace violence program to take back to their respective organizations.

The workplace violence course is one of several seminars offered through DePaul’s Center for Dispute Resolution, which also has certificate programs in negotiation, conflict management and dispute resolution. The center, which was established in 1996, attracts professionals from all disciplines including doctors, lawyers, bankers, social workers, judges, clergy members, therapists, entrepreneurs and human resource managers.

Innovative in its approach to providing cutting-edge programs to professionals, the center launched one of the few mediation programs in the country that works in partnership with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. The center also has developed conflict resolution and negotiation programs for CNA Insurance, the U.S. Bankruptcy Court and the Archdiocese of Chicago.

“The center has become a dominant provider of courses in mediation and conflict negotiation,” said attorney Thomas F. Gibbons, who co-directs the center. “It provides the perfect setting for professionals to learn how to become effective negotiators, mediators and advocates.”

Note to Editors: Reporters wishing to cover the violence prevention seminar should call Valerie Phillips at 312/362-5039. Thomas Gibbons, can be reached at 312/362-6316.