What is the primary goal when developing a violence prevention reporting procedure?

• A. It should encourage employees to report all incidents
• B. It should prioritize protecting management from liability
• C. It should limit reports to serious incidents
• D. It should delay reporting until a formal investigation begins

Answer: (A)

The main idea behind a violence prevention reporting procedure is to create a system that captures every incident, so a complete picture of risk emerges. When employees are encouraged to report all incidents, including near-misses and minor events, patterns and underlying causes become visible rather than hidden. This allows timely interventions, root-cause analysis, and informed actions—such as targeted training, policy updates, and adjustments to security or workloads—to prevent recurrence. It also builds trust that safety is the priority and reporting won’t be used to punish staff, which helps sustain ongoing participation.

Focusing on protecting management from liability shifts emphasis away from safety and can undermine trust in the process. Limiting reports to serious incidents leaves gaps where smaller events or near-misses would reveal warning signs. Delaying reporting until a formal investigation begins slows response and can allow risks to persist or escalate.