Typology Analysis

2.3. WORKPLACE VIOLENCE TYPOLOGIES

Bowie (as cited in Davis and Snyman, 2005) notes that the typology of workplace violence that is generally accepted in current legal, occupational health and safety, criminology and security circles is one that is based on the relationship of the perpetrator to the workplace. The Californian Occupational Safety and Health Administration (Cal/OSHA) developed a workplace typology. In this typology, workplace violence events are classified into five types, namely Type I which is stranger violence, Type II is client/customer violence and Type III is organisational violence, which is violence that is committed within the organisations. Type IV and Type include workplace violence types and employer violence which covers physical and non-physical violence committed by an employer on an employee (Cal/OSHA, 1995).

Apart from the abovementioned typology, there is another widely recognised and foundational typology used for different studies on workplace aggression which is that proposed by Buss (as cited in Neuman & Baron, 2005) who classifies workplace aggression using three dichotomies, namely physical-verbal, active-passive, and direct-indirect. Physical aggression involves physical actions (for example, pushing, assault) on the part of the perpetrator while verbal aggression (for example, yelling, gossip) inflicts harm through words, rather than deeds. Active aggression implies that the perpetrator does something to harm the target, either directly, for example, obscene gestures or racist remarks, or indirectly, e.g. theft or spreading rumours. Passive-aggressive behavior is a pattern of indirectly expressing negative feelings instead of openly addressing them. There is a disconnect between what a p...

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...llowing duties of the employees as outlined by the OHSA amended Act, No. 181 of 1993. The Act states that the ‘employee must take reasonable care for the health and safety of themselves and of others; cooperate with the employer in order to fulfill any duty or requirement imposed by the OHSA; carry out any lawful orders and obey the health and safety rules and procedures laid down by the employer or by anyone authorized thereto by the employer, in the interests of health or safety; report any situation which is unsafe or unhealthy as soon as possible to the employer or to the health and safety representatives; and if the employee is involved in any incident which may affect his/her health or which has caused an injury to him/ her, report such incident to the employer or to anyone authorized thereto by the employer as soon as possible thereafter’.