A Week After Manchester Workplace Murders, Rell Orders DPW to Review State Plans to Stop Workplace Violence

Governor M. Jodi Rell has ordered the state Department of Public Works (DPW) to draft a new set of procedures for stopping avoiding workplace violence. In a news release today she said the revisions will be released in September and were uner review prior to last week’s workplace shootings in Manchester, where nine died. The latest version of the 50-page Violence in the Workplace Policy and Procedures manual was last rewritten in 2007. The updated version will include information on how agencies can revise plans for addressing threats  “The heartbreaking and startling tragedy in Manchester is a stark reminder that we must do everything we can to forestall these kinds of violent outbursts,” Rell said in a news release. “Employers and co-workers alike must be aware of the warning signs when someone is reaching a breaking point. And all must be prepared to react – calmly but swiftly – in the event that an attack actually takes place.In the years since the 1998 shootings at the state Lottery headquarters and the terrible attacks of September 11, 2001, Connecticut state government has made a concerted effort to improve security at all of its buildings. Yet – like all public institutions – we must balance those security interests with our responsibility to be open and accessible to the people we serve. The policies and procedures outlined in the DPW manual are essential to meeting those two goals.”