Former New York and Los Angeles Police Chief William J. Bratton To Headline EpsteinBeckerGreen's Workplace Violence Seminar

NEW YORK, April 14 /PRNewswire/ -- The national law firm EpsteinBeckerGreen will host a conference in New York on April 27, 2010, featuring a distinguished panel that will discuss how employers can navigate the increasing challenges brought by the rise of workplace violence across the United States. The conference will be presented by former New York and Los Angeles police chief William J. Bratton, as well as noted EpsteinBeckerGreen Labor & Employment attorneys, and law enforcement, corporate security, and mental health professionals.

Workplace violence is not just a headline-grabbing issue. Every employer is vulnerable. Each day in the United States, there are 16,400 workplace threats of violence, 723 attacks on workers and 43,800 acts of harassment, bullying and other threatening behavior. Workplace violence costs businesses more than $120 billion annually. Yet, as of 2005, less than 30 percent of employers had workplace violence policies and programs and only about 20 percent provided training for the prevention of workplace violence.

Using real-life examples drawn from the headlines and the courts, this event will provide the legal and practical guidance that employers need in order to address the issues of workplace violence and domestic violence in the workplace, identify the "red flags of caution," and implement proper safeguards.

Among the topics to be covered are:

Understanding the scope of workplace violence:

• Terrorism and the unbalanced employee (or stranger) with an agenda
• Harassment and bullying by supervisors, co-workers and third parties
• Domestic violence and stalking

How employers may be liable for workplace violence:

• Vicarious liability
• Negligent hiring, retention, supervision and security
• Negligent failure to warn/misrepresentation
• Violation of OSHA's "general duty clause"
• State laws, including "guns at the workplace" statutes

Personnel policies and practices that may give rise to claims by employees:

• Discrimination under Title VII and other anti-discrimination laws
• Discrimination under the Family Medical Leave Act and Americans with Disabilities Act
• Invasion of privacy
• Defamation

Minimizing the risk of workplace violence and liability:

• The hiring process: background and reference checks, risks of social networking Web sites, and lawful profiling
• Violence Prevention and Response Plan: creating response teams and security and personnel policies
• Training program: how to recognize and respond to warning signs of a violent employee

This program is intended for general counsel, in-house counsel, human resource professionals, security personnel, and administrators of Employee Assistance Programs.

About EpsteinBeckerGreen

Epstein Becker & Green, P.C., is uncompromising in its pursuit of legal excellence and client service in its areas of practice: Health Care and Life Sciences, Labor and Employment, Litigation, Real Estate, Business Law, Employee Benefits and Immigration. The Firm is also known for its service to clients in the health, hospitality, financial services and energy industries, among others, representing entities from Fortune 100 companies to startups. Our commitment to these practices and industries reflects the founders' belief in focused proficiency paired with seasoned experience.

SOURCE EpsteinBeckerGreen