The increasing awareness of active intruders at the workplace has not only improved the level of security available at these locations; it has also initiated a greater need for education regarding workplace violence. According to Dan Lehtola of Huntsman Corp., having a training program in place for employees can be the best method for handling workplace violence even before it starts.
“An active intruder is any person or persons who enter a building without permission and/or with the intent to threaten, intimidate, antagonize or harm people, damage property or commit sabotage,” Lehtola explained recently at the Texas/Louisiana EHS Seminar. “An active intruder could be an employee or anyone who exhibits behavior where they may become loud, aggressive or irrational. They don’t have to have a weapon.”
Active shootings typically result in varying victim responses and perceptions of the event, but there are some constants.
“Up to 90 percent of victims do not hear the gunfire or they hear [it] in a diminished capacity,” Lehtola said. “They hear things as if their ears were plugged. Why is this? Denial, the body is shutting down, the fight or flight response. Loss of normal vision is also common; victims may develop tunnel vision.”
These situations also have an economic impact.
“Each year, active shootings cost 500,000 employees, $55 million in wages and 1,175,100 lost work days,” Lehtola said. “Lost productivity, legal expenses, property damage and increased security are also examples of the type of impact these events have.”
Although school shootings appear to make up the majority of active shooter occurrences, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, these events represent only 24 percent of all active shootings. Businesses, on the other hand, represent 45 percent. Media attention tends to gravitate toward stories that provide a stronger emotional pull for viewers and readers.
According to Lehtola, all organizations and companies should have a zero-tolerance policy for all forms of workplace violence, both direct and indirect. Immediate reporting and recordkeeping of violent outbursts by employees should be mandatory, as this can help determine the overall effectiveness of the policy. Strict rules regarding common maintenance tools, like knives, should be in place to avoid access to potentially dangerous weapons.
Perhaps the most potent method for handling workplace violence is prevention.
“How do you prevent workplace violence? The first way is easy: Treat others with respect,” Lehtola said.
Being aware of other employees and watching for warning signs are also important prevention methods. Often precursors to violent episodes are noticed by other employees but go unreported for fear of being too confrontational.
“Threats, intimidation, bullying, psychological trauma or obscene phone calls are examples of precursors to workplace violence,” Lehtola said.
If precursors are not reported, then they may escalate. And, in a particular person, acts of violence may ensue. Physical assaults, shootings and rapes are all examples of workplace violence.
“These are the typical things you see as workplace violence, which are all reactive,” Lehtola said.
Training and education on how to handle a violent workplace event is essential for reducing the severity of the crime(s) committed.
“Educate to promote awareness among employees,” Lehtola said. “Talk to your employees about this. Talk to HR. Talk to legal. Let people know what to do. Educate on emergency exits. Human behavior is to exit the same way they enter, but that’s not always the best exit route during an emergency.”
In addition to reading the Department of Homeland Security guidelines, Lehtola suggested, “Develop and implement your own workplace policy. It’s surprising a lot of companies don’t have any policy at all.”
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