Author: Gregory Schmidt, CPP, PSP, CHSS

Posted by ASIS:
From “Employers Must Create Workplace Violence Action Plans”
Occupational Health & Safety (06/07/18) Davis, Jessica

Speaker Bo Mitchell, President of 911 Consulting and a retired police commissioner, on June 7 laid out for attendees of #Safety2018, “The Fatal Flaws in Your Active Shooter Protocol,” the statistics on workplace violence and how employers should prepare. Almost all active shooter situations are over in 4-5 minutes, which means it is difficult for police to deploy in time. Because officials can’t arrive instantaneously, Mitchell said, the true first responders in a workplace violence incident are the employer and employees, and training them to call the police is not enough. In active shooter situations, the Department of Homeland Security says to Run, Hide, and Fight. According to Mitchell, this protocol’s fatal flaw is that the first step should be Alert. He stressed that in a chaotic workplace violence situation, employers must have multiple methods to alert employees as to what is happening and what areas to avoid. He listed options such as a PA system, two-way radios, panic alarms, or alerts via cell phones, text messages, or locked computer screens. He emphasized that redundancy and multiple alarms are best. Appropriate response and protocol in an active shooter situation is complex and not intuitive, Mitchell said, so there are many points that are vital to include when training employees. He underscored that the main duty of police when entering an active shooter situation is to find the shooter, and that employees should be trained to understand that police officers cannot help them emotionally or medically in this instance.

From “People Are Often Too Embarrassed to React to Emergencies at Work — Here’s How to Stay Safe Should the Worst Happen”
Business Insider (04/09/18) Cain, Áine. Posted by ASIS.

Threat management and workplace violence expert Dr. Laurence Barton says employers should encourage workers to trust their instincts and remain “situationally aware” on the job, instead of emphasizing shooting drills and tactical exercises. He says employers need to adopt flexible emergency plans and policies that empower employees to trust their intuition, rather than static ones. For example, instead of telling workers to evacuate the building and meet up at another location, Barton said to order employees to evacuate and keep moving until they feel safe. Static plans can endanger lives, in the event of unforeseen circumstances, such as an attacker who is familiar with the contingency plans. A flexible plan should encourage individuals to do whatever they need to do to make themselves safe. He says workers struggle to follow their intuition at work, because they are lulled into a false sense of security and are fearful of appearing paranoid in the workplace. When dangers arise in the office, people often experience a sense of disbelief and paralysis. Barton has interviewed numerous survivors of violent workplace incidents, many of whom describe freezing up and not acting on the opportunity to flee. A situationally-aware person would identify a potential threat, such as loud popping sounds, trust their instincts and take decisive action such as evacuating the building.

From “YouTube Shooting Puts a Focus on Workplace Security”
New York Times (04/06/18) Hsu, Tiffany; Nicas, Jack. Posted by ASIS.

Silicon Valley firms are known for corporate headquarters that resemble universities, where employees mingle with tourists, executives stroll between meetings without an obvious security detail, and collaborations take shape out on the quad. However, such places are difficult to secure. The shooting this week at the headquarters of YouTube, a Google-owned company in San Bruno, Calif., has highlighted the security risks of Silicon Valley’s relatively open corporate campuses — particularly as tech companies’ expanding influence angers more people online. The risk is not confined to the tech sector. Many companies across the country are similarly exposed, reflecting an open-door policy that for generations has pervaded corporate America, where safety training has long focused on fire drills, earthquake-sheltering procedures, and accident cleanup. Many companies now send their security personnel to gun ranges to test active-shooter threats in virtual reality. Insurance providers are offering lower premiums for corporate clients with stronger security. “If you can’t protect the work force, you’re putting your entire operation at risk,” says Arnette Heintze, a former Secret Service agent who runs a security consulting firm. Companies of all kinds have stepped up security. General Mills has made physical changes to its building in Minneapolis to better prepare for an active shooter situation. Wendy’s has installed upgraded security cameras throughout its headquarters in Dublin, Ohio; set up advanced access control systems that can lock down different parts of the facility; and upgraded its phone systems with emergency messaging capabilities.