Code of practice to address violence and stress in service occupations.

As this issue of the Journal of Employee Assistance goes to press, the International Labour Organization is putting the finishing touches on a code of practice to guide employers and workers in establishing programs and policies to address violence and stress in public and private service organizations, such as schools, hospitals, banks, post offices, and restaurants.

Although codes of practice are voluntary, the depth and scope of the recommendations on violence and stress--which are being drafted by 36 experts, including 12 each representing employers and workers--make them more likely to be used as guidelines for workplace initiatives. The final code of practice will address violence and stress from several perspectives, including the following:

* The roles and responsibilities of employers and workers in preventing violence and stress

* Conducting risk assessments and identifying risk factors for violence and stress

* Developing strategies to tackle violence and stress at the workplace

* Improving the work environment

* Developing policies on violence and stress at the workplace

A copy of the draft code on workplace violence and stress can be downloaded from the ILO Web site, www.ilo.org. Also available for viewing and/or downloading is a summary of the comments the ILO has received on the draft. The final code of practice will be posted as soon as it is available.