The Cawood Assessment Grid for Organizational (Workplace) Violence: Initial Testing for Interrater Reliability and Predictive Validity

• Published in: Journal of threat assessment and management 2020-09, Vol.7 (3-4), p.200-213
• Main Authors: Cawood, James S., Scalora, Mario J., Viñas-Racionero, Rosa
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Female; Human; Interrater Reliability; Male; Predictive Validity; Risk Assessment; Risk Factors; Test Reliability; Test Validity; Workplace Violence
• ISSN: 2169-4842; 2169-4850
• DOI: 10.1037/tam0000153

Violence risk assessment tools aid threat and violence risk assessments and management interventions conducted in a variety of environments, including workplaces. However, only a limited number of studies have tested the interrater reliability and predictive validity of violence risk assessment tools for potential physical violence cases involving adult instigators in workplaces. This postdictive study provides the results of the initial empirical testing of the interrater reliability and predictive validity of the Cawood Assessment Grid (CAG), a widely used assessment tool for determining the risk of physical violence in common workplace (organizational) settings. Three coders using the CAG assessed 40 case summaries. Statistical analyses of the Summary Risk Ratings (SRRs) suggested raters had good interrater reliability (ICC3−1 = .67) and the SRRs were strongly associated with occurrence of physical violence (AUC = .81). These results support the continued use of the CAG during assessments of risk for physical violence in workplace settings and add to the empirical literature supporting the use of violence risk assessment tools to enhance our ability to identify cases that have a higher probability of ending in physical violence. Public Significance Statement This study found the Cawood Assessment Grid significantly differentiated between common workplace violence cases that did or did not have physically violent outcomes, while demonstrating adequate reliability for users. These results support the increased use of appropriately tested tools to assess the risk of violence in workplaces, which will enhance the safety of potential victims.