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Quizzes > Health & Medicine

OSHA Workplace Violence Quiz: Check Your Prevention Know-How

Quick, free workplace violence prevention quiz. Instant results.

Editorial: Review CompletedCreated By: Nanadu BestmanUpdated Aug 25, 2025
Difficulty: Moderate
Questions: 20
Learning OutcomesStudy Material
Colorful paper art promoting a quiz on Workplace Violence Prevention

This OSHA workplace violence prevention quiz helps you spot risks, recognize warning signs, and choose safe responses at work. Answer 15 quick questions for instant results and simple next steps. For broader practice, try our workplace safety quiz and employee health and safety quiz, or build incident response skills with an OSHA accident investigation quiz.

Which of the following is a common early indicator of potential workplace violence?
Consistently arriving to work early
Excessive use of polite language
Increased signs of agitation
Volunteering for overtime
Increased signs of agitation, such as raised voice or restlessness, often signal rising tension. Early recognition of agitation can enable intervention before behavior escalates.
Which individual risk factor most contributes to the likelihood of workplace violence?
Strict attendance policies
Regular team meetings
High levels of job-related stress
Generous employee benefits
High levels of job-related stress can heighten emotional responses and reduce coping capacity, increasing violent risk. Identifying stress as a risk factor supports targeted prevention.
What is the first step an employee should take when witnessing a violent incident at work?
Report immediately to supervisor or security
Confront the perpetrator physically
Post about it on social media
Ignore it and continue working
Promptly reporting to a supervisor or security ensures a rapid and appropriate response to contain violence. Delaying or mishandling reports can worsen outcomes.
Which technique is a basic de-escalation strategy in a tense conversation?
Turning your back to the person
Interrupting frequently
Raising your voice to assert authority
Speaking in a calm, steady tone
A calm, steady tone helps reduce tension and encourages cooperation. Other tactics like yelling or interrupting typically escalate conflict rather than diffuse it.
What personal safety strategy helps maintain distance during a conflict?
Clenching fists to show readiness
Making sudden movements
Standing directly in front of another person
Positioning oneself near an exit
Positioning near an exit provides a quick escape route if violence occurs and helps maintain a safe buffer. Other actions, like sudden movements, can provoke escalation.
Which component is essential in workplace violence prevention policies according to OSHA guidelines?
Annual holiday parties
Peer performance evaluations
Regular risk assessments
On-site fitness programs
Regular risk assessments identify vulnerabilities and enable proactive measures to prevent incidents. Other items may foster morale but don't directly address violence hazards.
During a heated dispute between coworkers, which de-escalation technique is most effective?
Reflective listening
Ignoring the complainant
Pointing out mistakes
Using sarcasm to lighten mood
Reflective listening shows understanding and can calm individuals by validating their perspective. Ignoring or mocking tends to inflame emotions and worsen conflict.
For accurate incident reporting, which detail is most critical to include?
The office wall color
The victim's favorite lunch
Background music playing
Time and date of the incident
Including the time and date establishes a clear chronology and supports investigations. Irrelevant details distract from the factual record.
A team safety strategy to prevent workplace violence is:
Implementing a buddy system
Weekly potluck lunches
Random desk swaps
Offering free coffee
A buddy system ensures employees watch out for one another and can rapidly summon help if needed. Social events and amenities do not directly enhance safety coordination.
Which organizational preventive measure addresses conflict before it escalates?
Increasing individual workloads
Installing more coffee machines
Adopting a lenient dress code
Conflict resolution training
Conflict resolution training equips employees with skills to manage disputes constructively. Amenities or lenient policies don't teach de-escalation techniques.
After company downsizing, which risk factor for violence may increase?
Decreased overtime demands
Clear career paths
Employee job insecurity
Improved team morale
Job insecurity can heighten anxiety and frustration, raising the potential for aggressive behavior. Positive morale and clarity tend to reduce violence risk.
In de-escalation, reflective listening primarily involves:
Changing the subject
Offering immediate solutions
Paraphrasing the speaker's concerns
Remaining silent until they finish speaking
Paraphrasing shows you understand the speaker's feelings and content, helping to build rapport and calm tensions. Silence alone may not convey understanding.
A zero-tolerance policy in workplace violence refers to:
Allowing minor infractions to go unpunished
Encouraging employees to settle conflicts themselves
Tolerating verbal warnings only
Immediate disciplinary action for any violent behavior
Zero-tolerance means any form of violence triggers prompt consequences to deter future incidents. Leniency or informal resolution contradicts the zero-tolerance principle.
In preparing a report, witness statements should be:
Orally summarized later
Including personal opinions
Factual and objective
Written weeks after the event
Factual, objective statements with specific observations ensure the report's reliability and usefulness. Opinions or delays can introduce bias and reduce accuracy.
Which best practice supports team safety?
Regular safety drills including threat scenarios
Discouraging communication
Leaving office doors unlocked
Isolating new hires
Safety drills prepare teams for real incidents and establish clear procedures, improving readiness. Unlocked doors and isolation undermine security measures.
Under the OSHA General Duty Clause, employers must:
Absolve responsibility for employee conflicts
Provide a workplace free from recognized hazards, including violence
Only address physical hazards
Provide unlimited breaks
The General Duty Clause requires employers to mitigate recognized threats like violence. It encompasses all workplace hazards, not just physical ones.
In an active shooter situation, the recommended initial action is:
Gather personal belongings before leaving
Wait for instructions by phone
Run if safe, hide if not possible, fight as a last resort
Confront the shooter immediately without plan
The run-hide-fight protocol prioritizes escape and concealment before engaging as a last resort. Collecting belongings or uncoordinated confrontation increases risk.
Which element is least important when developing a comprehensive violence prevention program?
Installing new coffee machines
Regular employee training
Employee threat assessment team
Clear reporting procedures
While workplace amenities improve comfort, they do not directly prevent violence. Threat assessment teams, reporting systems, and training are core program components.
In a scenario where an employee threatens a coworker, the best immediate action by a manager is:
Send them both home without investigation
Email the entire staff publicly about the threat
Postpone discussion until the next team meeting
Separate the parties and assess safety
Separating individuals and checking for injuries secures the scene and allows facts to be gathered safely. Publicizing or delaying undermines confidentiality and safety.
For legally sound background checks to prevent workplace violence during hiring, employers must:
Conduct checks without candidate consent
Comply with Fair Credit Reporting Act requirements
Exclude criminal history entirely
Share results publicly with all employees
The Fair Credit Reporting Act sets standards for consent and accuracy in background screenings. Unauthorized or indiscriminate sharing breaches privacy and legal guidelines.
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Learning Outcomes

  1. Identify common indicators and risk factors of workplace violence.
  2. Evaluate effective de-escalation techniques in various scenarios.
  3. Apply best practices for reporting incidents promptly and accurately.
  4. Analyze legal and organizational policies on violence prevention.
  5. Demonstrate awareness of personal and team safety strategies.
  6. Master preventive measures to foster a safer work environment.

Cheat Sheet

  1. Recognize the four types of workplace violence - Think of yourself as a safety detective hunting down criminal intent (strangers with bad motives), customer/client flare-ups, worker-on-worker conflicts, and personal relationship spillovers. Spotting these categories early is like equipping your toolbox with the perfect prevention gadgets.
  2. Identify common indicators of potential violence - Keep an eye out for verbal threats, sudden outbursts, or noticeable dips in performance. Catching these red flags early lets you step in before things spiral.
  3. Learn effective de-escalation techniques - Master the art of active listening, stay calm like a zen master, and set clear boundaries to cool down heated situations. These moves turn potential showdowns into peaceful conversations.
  4. Understand the importance of prompt and accurate reporting - Treat reporting like hitting the emergency button: quick, precise, and non-negotiable. Familiarizing yourself with your company's procedures ensures no detail is missed and everyone stays in the loop.
  5. Analyze legal and organizational policies - Dive into your company's zero-tolerance rules and employee rights as if you're cracking a code. Knowing these guidelines gives you the power to uphold a safe and fair environment.
  6. Demonstrate awareness of personal and team safety strategies - Think buddy systems, check-in routines, and clear emergency plans that turn coworkers into a safety squad. When everyone's on the same page, you build a fortress of collective security.
  7. Master preventive measures - From smart environmental design (bright lighting, clear exits) to solid administrative controls and behavioral nudges, blocking problems before they start is your best defense. These proactive steps keep your workplace calm and collected.
  8. Recognize the role of training programs - Regular drills and interactive workshops level up your confidence and muscle memory for handling threats. Practice makes perfect when it comes to staying cool under pressure.
  9. Foster a culture of respect and open communication - A workplace where people feel heard and valued is like a violence-deterrent magnet. Encouraging honest dialogue stops small issues from snowballing into big problems.
  10. Stay informed about industry-specific risks - Every sector has its own quirks - whether you're in healthcare, retail, or tech, knowing your unique challenges sharpens your prevention strategy. Tailor your tactics to your field and you'll be ready for anything.
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