INFORMATION SHEET No. 2
It's one in which employees may observe behavior that causes apprehension or fear for personal safety, but no immediate harm or risk to safety is perceived. These situations may involve employees, supervisors, managers, customers, contractors, vendors, visitors, or others at the worksite.
Depending on the circumstances, non-emergencies may include, but are not limited to, the following types of situations in which no immediate harm or risk to safety is perceived:
- intimidating talk of guns or other weapons
- veiled references to homicide, suicide, or other violence
- aggressive, bullying, harassing, and/or other inappropriate behavior that causes apprehension and/or fear for personal safety
Yes, it's possible. For this reason, it is best to act on the side of safety and consult with a supervisor or an alternate source of assistance.
FFAS supports flexibility for employees to go outside the traditional management chain of command to request assistance, without fear of or experiencing retaliation. However, employees must keep in mind that management bears the final responsibility for dealing with conduct issues, and management's ability to reduce any potential risk to safety may be diminished or hindered if not timely notified and involved.
Alternate sources of assistance include, but are not limited to, the following:
Designated individuals and/or officials in the management chain
Irene Seastrum, Program Manager, at 202-401-0641 or TDD at 202-205-9057 FAX at 202- 205-3781 Lolita Roberson, Program Coordinator, at 202-401-0629 FAX at 202- 205-3781
Washington, DC, at 202-401-0684 or TDD at 202-205-9057 Kansas City, MO, at 816-926-6443 or TDD at 800-735-2466
Mark Guberman (202) 401-0684 or TDD at 202-205-9057 (Washington, D.C.) Noreen Joice, (816) 926-6643 or TDD at 800-735-2466 (Kansas City, MO) Employee Assistance Program (EAP) provider, according to geographical location
FSA/RMA Servicing Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Program Manager Pat Lowe, at 202-401-9057 or TDD at 202-205-9057, and ADR contact for all:
- FSA Federal employees at the National Office
- FSA County employees nationwide
- RMA employees, except Kansas City
Mae Clark Johnson, at 202-720-7233 or TDD at 202-720-1786
Local security and/or law enforcement personnel, contacted through the non-emergency telephone number
Note: At the National Office, in the South, Whitten, and Cotton Annex Building Complex, alternate contacts for non-emergencies include the USDA Security Control Center at 202-690-0869, open 24 hours per day, 7 days per week (USDA Special Police Officers), or the USDA Protective Operations Branch at 202-720--6270 or TDD at 301-763-0126.
Union and/or employee association representative (if applicable)
The FFAS Workplace Violence Prevention Coordinator is available to coordinate a risk/threat assessment. An assessment is the process whereby management, with the assistance of qualified professionals, evaluates a situation or incident that causes fear, and which may pose a risk to workplace safety. In this process, an attempt is made to identify and evaluate risk factors (factors relevant to the risk of violence) within the context and totality of a situation. Examples of "risk factors" include, but are not limited to, aggressive, threatening, intimidating behavior; sudden, extreme changes in behavior; irrational, bizarre comments, open comments about wanting to get even with co-workers and/or management; behavior that causes such fear that individuals are afraid to report it, for fear of retaliation. (Many more examples of risk factors are listed in FFAS Information Sheet No. 3, Risk Factors and Risk Assessment, which may be accessed at Risk Factors and Risk Assessment) The objective of a risk assessment is to assist management in developing a plan to prevent or reduce risk to employee safety.
THE FFAS WVP AND EMPLOYEE ASSISTANCE PROGRAM COORDINATORS PROVIDE SUPPORT AND ASSISTANCE IN WORKPLACE VIOLENCE SITUATIONS NATIONWIDE.
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