Workplace Violence and the Active Shooter
Terminations, Bullying, Layoffs, Domestic Violence, Criminal Acts; these all can be factors in workplace violence incidents. They don’t always result in an active shooter incident, but the potential is there. Have you planned for such an incident?
Security Planning
- Do you have a workplace violence policy and prevention plan?
- Does staff know the warning signs?
- Do they know how to report concerns?
- Do they know how to respond in the event of an active shooter?
These are just a sample of things that need to be considered by all organizations. If you did not answer yes to all of the above, get started now.
Employee Security
Your staff is on the front lines daily, and will normally be the first that detect any warning signs. However, if they do not know what to watch for and how to report you may miss your one and only opportunity to prevent a tragedy.
Are there always warning signs? In almost all cases there are. However, in many cases staff did not know how to recognize those signs. Teach staff to report, no matter how minor it may be. Take their concerns seriously; you may lose their trust to come forward if you fail act. Remember, you want and need their information, no matter how inconsequential you think it is.
Secure and Safe Workplace
It is your obligation to provide a safe work environment. Training and education are very critical in achieving that result. Insure that staff and management are trained to identify key indicators of potential violence and how they should respond.
A workplace violence reduction plan is essential to reduce your risks. You need to start off with a no-tolerance policy, and enforce it. Establish a threat assessment and response team. Insure that your investigative team is qualified and trained to conduct proper investigations. Train all management on identifying warning signs, and encourage staff to report all concerns. Include your local police in your planning, and conduct drills when possible.
Not all active shooter incidents are planned out in detail, nor are they all random. The question is can you tell the difference? Do you understand your security risks, vulnerabilities and threats? If not, maybe it is time to do so.
