HCC board of trustees unveils new policy
on workplace violence
The
Hutchinson Community College board of trustees had the first reading of a workplace
violence policy Thursday night.
The
board is expected to vote on the policy at the next board meeting in March. The
college has never had a workplace violence policy, but is required to have one
by the Occupational Safety Health Administration, said President Ed Berger.
The
college has not had recent incidents of violence, Berger said. Consideration of the policy started last
year, when the college worked with the Hutchinson Police Department on a crisis
management plan.
The
policy states that any person who makes threats, exhibits threatening behavior
or engages in violent acts on property owned or leased by the college or at a
college-sponsored event, may be removed from the premises. Off-site threats directed towards HCC
employees conducting official business is also a violation of the policy.
Violations can lead to dismissal, arrest or prosecution, the policy states.