Security Technology Executive

FEB-MAR 2018

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28 SECURIT Y TECHNOLOGY E XECUTIVE • Februar y/March 2018 • www. SecurityInfoWatch.com HOSPITAL SECURIT Y No employer can afford to treat the risk of a violent workplace attack lightly By John Arendes How to Handle an Active Shooter Situation In most cases, active shooters use firearms and there is no pattern or method to their selection of victims. Image Courtesy of BigStock.com C onsider the following scenario – a disgruntled ex-employee enters your place of business and opens fire, killing staff before turning the gun on himself. Unfortu- nately, this type of incident is not unique and is becoming an all- too-familiar scene in places of business across America. In fact, workplace violence is the sec- ond leading cause of occupational fatalities, and approximately two million workers are injured every year. The toll this takes on employees is significant and the cost for employers is exorbi- tant, around $121 billion annually. The latest research shows that the threat of workplace vio- lence is adding to HR concerns with 45 percent of respondents to a XpertHR survey identifying the issue as particularly challenging. While many of us automatically think of unhappy former employees as the main perpe- trators, the nature of workplace violence varies. In some instances, it is a domestic situation and can have the added complexity of perhaps involv- ing a child custody issue. It might be an act of revenge taken against a company or a product. It can be downright random, or in today's politi- cal climate it might also take the form of an act of terrorism.

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