• Workplace Violence

    Incident Report Form

    What is Workplace Violence?

    Workplace violence is defined as any physical assault or act of aggressive behavior that occurs where a public employee performs any work-related duty in the course of their employment. This includes but is not limited to:

    1. An attempt or threat, whether verbal or physical, to inflict physical injury upon an employee.
    2. Any intentional display of force which would give an employee reason to fear or expect bodily harm.
    3. Intentional and wrongful physical contact with a person without his or her consent that entails some injury.
    4. Stalking an employee to cause fear of harm to the employee’s physical safety and health when such stalking has arisen through and in the course of employment.


    What is the New York State Workplace Violence Prevention Law and Regulation?

    On June 7, 2006, New York State enacted legislation creating a new Section 27-b of State Labor Law that requires every public employer to evaluate the risk of workplace assaults and homicides at its workplace(s) and to develop and implement programs to prevent and minimize the hazard of workplace violence to public employees. In 2009, the NYS Department of Labor (DOL) implemented regulations to accompany the Workplace Violence Prevention Law. These regulations are enforced by NYSDOL and can be found on this website.  Effective January 4, 2024, all public school districts, New York City public schools, Boards of Cooperative Education Services (BOCES) and County Vocational Education & extension Boards are covered by this law.

    Purpose of this program

    The purpose of this Workplace Violence Prevention Program is to provide information to managers, supervisors, employees, and authorized employee representatives about preventing and responding to incidents of workplace violence or threats of violence in accordance with the Workplace Violence Prevention Law and Regulation.

    The goal of this program is to reduce the risk of workplace violence to employees and to ensure that any incident, complaint, or report of violence is taken seriously and dealt with appropriately and as expeditiously as possible. This program outlines the major components of our effort to meet these goals. At the core of this Workplace Violence Prevention Program is the Brewster Central School District commitment to work with its employees to maintain a work environment free from violence and other threatening behavior to the greatest degree possible.
     

    Reporting an incident

    At the core of this Workplace Violence Prevention Program is Brewster Central School District’s commitment to work with its employees to maintain a work environment free from violence and violent behavior to the greatest degree possible.

    Any Brewster Central School District employee who becomes aware of a physical assault, threatening behavior, or verbal abuse at the workplace must immediately report the facts and circumstances of the violent incident to their supervisor and/or the contact person identified in the Policy Statement (Policy 6190). In the event that an employee witnesses or is involved in an incident of violence in which there is an immediate threat to the employee’s safety or the safety of others or where a serious injury has occurred, the employee will immediately call 911 to obtain law enforcement and/or medical assistance and notify their immediate supervisor.  The supervisor will immediately conduct a preliminary inquiry into the facts and circumstances of the incident and make a prompt report to the Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources using the Incident Report. 

    If a pattern of workplace violence incidents develops that involves criminal conduct or serious injury, Brewster Central School District will attempt to develop a protocol with the District Attorney or Police to ensure that violent crimes committed against employees in the workplace are promptly investigated and appropriately prosecuted.


    Retaliation against an employee who makes a report of violence or other violent behavior is strictly prohibited and shall be subject to appropriate corrective or disciplinary measures. 

    Designated Contact Person:
    Name: Stephen P. Hancock
    Title: Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources
    Department: Human Resources
    Phone: 845-279-8000
    Email: shancock@brewsterschools.org
    Location: District Office