Preventing Domestic Violence Spillover Toolbox Talk

Domestic violence can follow a worker to the jobsite through threatening calls, texts, stalking, unwanted visits, harassment, or an abusive person showing up at gates, parking areas, trailers, or work zones. These situations can put the affected worker, coworkers, visitors, and the public at risk.

This talk focuses on recognizing and preventing domestic violence spillover at work. The goal is to help crews report concerns early, protect worker privacy, control access to the site, and respond safely if an outside threat comes onto the job.

Why This Matters

• An abusive person may come to the jobsite looking for one worker but create danger for the whole crew.
• Threatening calls, texts, or visits can distract workers around equipment, ladders, lifts, trenches, traffic, and energized systems.
• Early reporting helps supervision plan access control, parking safety, and emergency response.
• Keeping worker schedules and locations private can reduce the chance of someone being found or confronted.
• A worker dealing with domestic violence may need support, privacy, and a safe way to ask for help.

Common Hazards

• A current or former partner, family member, or outside person showing up at the jobsite angry or threatening.
• Repeated unwanted calls, texts, emails, voicemails, or social media messages during work.
• Someone asking coworkers for a worker’s location, shift time, phone number, parking spot, or address.
• Stalking near gates, parking lots, break areas, trailers, restrooms, or worker vehicles.
• Threats made off site that could affect safety at work.
• Workers sharing personal information without realizing it may put someone at risk.
• An affected worker being afraid to report the situation because they fear embarrassment, retaliation, or not being believed.
• An abusive person arriving during early morning, night work, bad weather, or at a small job where only one or two workers are present.

Safety Checklist

Before Work Begins

• Know who to contact if a worker reports domestic violence concerns or an outside threat.
• Review site access points, gates, parking areas, trailers, and emergency exits.
• Do not share worker schedules, phone numbers, vehicle details, job locations, or personal information with unknown people.
• Make sure workers know they can make a private report to supervision, safety, HR, security, or another company contact.
• Plan how to alert the crew if an unwanted person comes to the site without exposing the affected worker.

During Work

• Take reports of domestic violence spillover, stalking, threats, or unwanted visits seriously.
• Keep the affected worker’s information private and share details only with people who need to know for safety.
• Report suspicious people asking about a worker or watching the site from nearby areas.
• Do not confront an angry or threatening outside person alone.
• Move the affected worker and nearby crew members to a safer area when needed.
• Save threatening messages, voicemails, photos, or other evidence if it is safe to do so.
• Call emergency services if there is an immediate threat, weapon, assault, stalking, or someone refusing to leave.

Crew Talking Points

• Who should workers contact if a personal threat may come to the jobsite?
• What worker information should never be shared with unknown people?
• Where are the most likely places an unwanted person could approach the crew?
• How should we respond if someone shows up asking for a worker by name?
• How can we support an affected worker without gossip, blame, or unwanted attention?
• Does anyone have a question, concern, or safety issue they need to raise before work starts?

Stop Work If

• An outside person comes to the site and threatens, stalks, or harasses a worker.
• Someone refuses to leave, blocks a path, follows a worker, or waits near parking areas or exits.
• A weapon is seen, mentioned, suspected, or brought onto the jobsite.
• A worker feels unsafe because of domestic violence spillover or unwanted contact.
• A threat distracts workers near equipment, ladders, scaffolds, trenches, traffic, energized systems, or suspended loads.
• Supervision, security, or emergency responders have not cleared the area for work to continue.

Final Reminder

Domestic violence spillover is a jobsite safety issue. Protect privacy, report concerns early, control access, and get help before threats reach the crew.