In the 20 years since the attack at Columbine High School, mass shootings have loomed large in our collective consciousness—especially if they take place in schools, such as Virginia Tech, Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland and Sandy Hook Elementary School, to name a few. There is no question that protecting our schools is of the utmost importance. Our children should have a safe place to learn and grow.
Because school shootings have been so traumatic for the general public, they have fundamentally changed the way law enforcement responds to an active incident, from protocols on scene to redefining what it means to secure a campus.
But schools aren’t the only vulnerable targets. Today, nearly one person is shot at work every day, and 25% of American workers are aware of an act of violence that has occurred at their workplace. A 2015 FBI study found that a commercial business was the most likely target for an active shooting incident, ahead of schools, colleges and universities. According to the Department of Justice, the average workplace is 18 times more likely to experience an incident of workplace violence than a fire -- but a recent survey my company conducted found that 51% of major emergency response plans for nonfire incidents were rarely or never tested, and 32% of employees don’t think their employer prioritizes workplace safety enough.
The rise in active shooter insurance policies and emergency exercises demonstrates that employers are beginning to view workplace violence as a real risk. But there is more to protecting employees -- and the company -- than paying an insurance premium. Here are some best practices being honed in schools that can be applied to the enterprise as well.
Be sure your facility is secure.
Are guests required to be on a preregistered list? Do they need to be accompanied by an employee? Preapproved security lists should be updated daily at a minimum; often, incidents can start with a disgruntled employee or someone who was recently let go. Companies need to be aware of who is on-premise at any given time -- and whether they are allowed to be there. Visitor management systems, electronic access control and video analytics are three technologies that can be leveraged to verify or restrict access and identify those on high-risk lists.
Have a plan for incident detection and immediate notification.
If an incident does occur, immediate notification of employees is critical and can have a real impact on the outcome. According to the FBI, 69% of active shooter incidents end in less than five minutes. While getting first responders to the scene is of paramount importance, those who are in the most immediate position to reduce loss of life are the business’s employees. It is a common misconception that all employees are immediately aware of an event; history shows that many people on-site lack awareness that an attack is in progress. Even when traditional alarms are activated, there is often confusion over the type of incident and what action should be taken. Whether through expensive and singularly focused gunshot detection systems or less costly physical or virtual panic buttons, it is critical that incidents be detected immediately and all the relevant parties -- first responders and employees alike -- be made aware.
Enable rapid, coordinated communication.
Many organizations, schools and offices have protocols that route emergency communications through an administrative position before outside agencies like the police are involved. But most critical incidents will require a public safety response -- and responding agencies need both the right information quickly and the ability to communicate with all of the people impacted, not just a single point of contact who may be targeted themselves. A best practice for ensuring a swift response is to engage response agencies in crisis planning by sharing and refining emergency response plans with outside agencies and stakeholders and practicing them with employees. In the event something does happen, some police departments have even established a dedicated public safety radio channel to facilitate direct communications with their local business security operations centers.
Managing external communications quickly, accurately and regularly in order to reduce risk to employees and anyone in the surrounding area is also important and needs to be considered.
Support recovery operations.
Recovery operations can vary widely based on the incident type, but people often overlook identifying areas for improvement. Emergency operations plans should include provisions for an immediate post-incident review, followed by a more thorough after-action report. The intent is not to place blame, but rather to improve. As much as possible, that review should engage everyone who was involved in the incident -- including external response agencies. Companies should also be prepared to offer post-incident support resources for their employees, who may be experiencing psychological distress and increased stress levels.
Workplace violence is a very real risk that all business leaders need to take seriously and prepare for, just as they do for severe weather or other events that might put employees in harm’s way. Until there is a clear consensus on how to prevent these incidents from ever happening in the first place, employers have a duty to ensure they equip their workers with an airtight emergency protocol to make them as safe as possible.
