Shots fired - are we prepared?
Somebody said, “When the economy goes down, threats of violence tend to go up.” Sounds like an accurate statement. In this stressful and insecure job environment, many of us fear of losing our jobs. We all depend on our income, set up to pay the bills and extend our life until the next pay cheque. For some people losing their job is the end of the world. They struggle with accepting the facts and moving in different direction. Blame is often placed on the employer as well as colleagues who are still employed and have a steady income. Some laid off employees will find a new job, while some will use their unemployment benefits until the last day, and some will look for revenge. An ex employee which thinks that an attack on a former employer will resolve their issues are definitely wrong. In many situations, we are not able to change a potential attacker plan, due to the fact that we have no idea of their covert plan. We do not know when an attack can occur, but we can train our employees to react properly and survive potentially deadly attack.
Most violent acts occurring in the workplace usually happened south of Canadian border.The United States Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI) reported 11,613 workplace homicide victims between 1992 and 2006, averaging just under 800 homicides per year. The last violent act was a shooting at Hartford Distributors in Connecticut. This is being called the worst workplace shooting the state of Connecticut has seen. Nine employees were shoot dead and few others were injured after an employee began shooting following a disciplinary meeting. However, in Canada, we do not often deal with workplace shootings; although other forms of workplace violence occur. The dictionary defines workplace violence as “an unjust or unwarranted exertion of force or power, as against rights or laws”.
So, here is a question, how ready are you for a worst-case scenario involving an active shooter in the workplace.
Have we ever talked with our employees about deadly workplace violence? My intention is not to bring a negative influence to the workplace and “jinks” many quiet work environments. My goal is to open the eyes of Human Resources Managers, business owners and all of us to think about this violence phenomenon. The more we learn about workplace shootings the more lives will be saved tomorrow when a potential situation occurs. Experts say these mass shootings have no reason and can occur anywhere, but most workplaces do not have a plan in place. The pattern is familiar, someone goes on a shooting spree in the workplace, and experts and the media struggle to find lessons in the aftermath. Businesses should have threat assessment plans/procedures on how to prevent or react if any workplace violence happens. We should all be familiar with emergency procedures related to robbery, bomb threat, fire emergency or other workplace violence threats. Depending on the nature of the business, the business should have and maintain adequate procedures related to specific threats. The business owners or HR administrators should take preventive measures and consult security experts about deadly workplace violence. Professionals can provide employees with the proper training and teach them how to recognize and survive an active shooter situation, as well as help establish procedures on how to react in situations when employees are under a potential deadly threat.
There is no magic formula for teaching employees on how to survive an armed attack, but security expert can teach them what course of action to take when lightning strike.
IRISS Security Solutions