| To establish a policy and procedures to facilitate proper handling and reporting of potential acts or threats of violence by Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health (DMH/Department) employees or others.
To establish procedures for responding to and prompt reporting of security incidents occurring at DMH facilities or directly affecting departmental consumers, employees, visitors, or County property.
To establish a Department-wide protocol, based on the California Occupational Safety and Health Administration (Cal/OSHA) guidelines that: -
Promotes security/safety; -
Prevents violence in the workplace; and -
Focuses on maintaining the safety of all staff, consumers, and visitors. This includes educating and training employees to look for problematic behavior or indicators that may lead to workplace violence. |
| DMH is committed to ensuring that the Departmental Illness and Injury Prevention Plan (IIPP) and other policies and procedures involving workplace safety and security are clearly communicated by supervisors and managers to all employees. -
Communication of safety, health, and security concerns between employees, supervisors, and managers shall be posted or distributed as outlined in the DMH IIPP, Communication section. This includes reporting instructions to inform management about workplace security hazards. DMH employees who become aware of any event which compromises security or safety of a patient, visitor, employee, or County property shall immediately report it to their supervisors.
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DMH Departmental Health and Safety Officer (DHSO) and/or DMH Security Coordinator will provide training programs designed to address specific aspects of workplace security such as workplace violence prevention (including non-violent conflict resolution methods), stress reduction/management, human relations skills, managers’/supervisors' style of motivation/management, etc.
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Supervisors and managers shall also provide training and/or consultation with the Department of Mental Health Human Resources Bureau (DMH-HRB) Performance Management Unit about corrective action for employees who fail to comply with work practices designed to ensure workplace security.
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Employees who fail to comply with workplace security practices, directives, and policies and procedures may be subject to administrative action consistent with the Los Angeles County Department of Human Resources Countywide Discipline Guidelines (CDG). Employees, including supervisors and managers, shall comply with work practices that are designed to make the workplace more secure and shall not engage in verbal threats or physical actions which create a security hazard for others in the workplace (DMH Policy 605.04).
A Security Incident Report (SIR) shall be completed and submitted for physical or verbal threats of violence against employees on DMH premises. -
The SIR has been developed by the Security Operations Unit (SOU) to document and report physical or verbal threats of violence against consumers, employees, and/or visitors on DMH premises during the course of normal business. Managers, supervisors, and/or staff must document physical or verbal threats and violence on the SIR. Each facility, including Headquarters offices, shall designate and maintain a Clinic Based/Facility Safety Officer to manage and facilitate security related issues. A Departmental Health and Safety Committee shall meet monthly to support and implement Clinic Based/Facility Safety Officer oversight responsibilities. Each facility will develop written Building Security Procedures for visitors, requiring all employees, supervisors, and managers to wear their DMH Identification (ID) badges at all times when on County property, consistent with DMH Policy 609.04. -
Visitor must enter through the front lobby, complete the information specified in a Visitor Sign-In Log, attach a Visitor badge to his/her clothing above the waistline, and wait to be escorted into other areas by an authorized employee.
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Visitor must be escorted by an employee who will be responsible for escorting each visitor to the front lobby when the visit is finished. The visitor can be escorted by the employee with whom they have an appointment. Management at each facility shall be responsible for handling employees’ acts or threats of violence (DMH Policy 605.04). The Manager or staff from the Performance Management Unit will notify the DHSO of any employees who have been terminated, suspended, or not allowed into a facility due to threats, violent acts, etc. The DHSO will notify the DMH Security Coordinator who will then notify the Sheriff Security Officer and/or Contract Security Guards at the facility, provide a photo ID of the employee, and instruct them that if such an individual is seen on the grounds of the facility or attempts to enter the facility, they shall immediately: -
Prohibit the individual from entering the workplace; -
Call for police backup to escort the individual from the facility; and -
Notify the manager and DMH Security Coordinator that the individual attempted to enter the workplace. The Clinic Based/Facility Safety Officer serves as the central point of his/her assigned facility for submission of safety/security reports and is responsible for computation and maintenance of data related to such reports. Management reports are provided to Executive Management Team on a quarterly basis. The Clinic Based/Facility Safety Officer, the DHSO, Security Operations Unit (SOU), and Chief Executive Office can provide support and intervention and are available to answer any procedural questions.
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