September is National Preparedness Month and organizations across the country—like the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Agency (CISA), the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), and Ready.gov—are raising public awareness and urging Americans to better prepare themselves for emergencies or disasters in their communities.
Throughout September, The Power of Preparedness will cover specific actions you can take to enhance your preparedness for workplace violence and active shooter situations.
The Preparedness Playbook: Conducting Risk Assessments
The statistics are startling.
According to a joint agency study released in 2022:
- Nearly 18,000 workers were victims of workplace homicide from 1992 to 2019;
Between 2015 and 2019, there were an average of 1.3 million non-fatal incidents of workplace violence annually; and - During the same five-year period, there were close to 530,000 non-fatal injuries resulting from workplace violence.
- If these numbers aren’t concerning enough, it should be noted that this data doesn’t take into account how the risk environment has evolved since 2019.
As we mark another National Preparedness Month, the reality of the persistent threat of violence—particularly in the workplace—cannot be ignored. And if your organization doesn’t have an up-to-date preparedness plan in place, you’re putting your business and your employees at risk .
It Starts with Three “P’s”
So, what’s the first step? Assessment. Without robust analysis of your organizational risks and security shortfalls, it’s difficult to gain an understanding of where you should focus your preparedness efforts. In short, a risk assessment addresses the following:
Policy – What are the rules and regulations of your workplace? Do they promote positive behavior and mitigate confrontation? Do they include a reporting structure designed to identify, catalog, and mitigate threats? And in general, do these policies inspire a feeling of safety in the workplace?
Personnel – What’s your staff like? Has anyone on the team expressed concern about coworker behavior? Is there a spirit of participation and a willingness to adopt updated preparedness measures?
Property – What’s the current security structure of the work environment? How are ingress and egress points monitored and controlled? Who has access to company grounds and assets, and what tools are being used to oversee that access?
If you haven’t taken a good hard look at where your organization may be at risk for workplace violence, don’t wait for legislation to force your hand—or worse, until it’s too late. Act now and get started on your preparedness plan with a comprehensive risk assessment.
With expertise including Run-Hide-Fight, active shooter preparedness and response, situational awareness, de-escalation techniques, and more, The Power of Preparedness provides critical guidance that can save lives. Contact us to learn more.