What would you do in the event of a violent situation in your workplace?
Or at your doctor’s office? Or the grocery store? Or a school event?
What happens when such an incident takes place?
The cost can be more than a company’s reputation…it could be a loss of life.
The FBI estimates that 40%
of all Active Shooter events between 2000 and 2012 took place in
business settings: commercial facilities like office buildings, stores,
factories and warehouses. Still, many businesses have outdated response
plans, or maybe even no plan at all. An antiquated “lockdown” plan is
still in place in many companies, similar what had been used for many
years in the school system. But law enforcement officials now believe
that a Run—Hide—Fight protocol, like that endorsed by the FBI saves more
lives.
Businesses know that it is necessary to do
more than implement safety protocols; employees need learn how to react
should they be faced with a violent situation.
Note: The Occupational Safety and
Health Administration asserts that it has the authority to cite
employers for failing to take steps to prevent workplace violence under
Section 5(a)(1) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970
(OSHA), otherwise known as the “General Duty Clause.” Under that
statutory provision, employers are required to keep their workplaces
“free from recognized hazards likely to cause death or physical harm.”
OSHA takes the position that workplace violence is a serious recognized
hazard.
