Why do violent events happen in the workplace?
Most organizations haven’t conducted a thorough assessment of their threats and vulnerabilities. So they don’t really know where they’re exposed or where threats may come from. Secondly, employees generally aren’t trained to identify or report the signs of emerging aggression. Without this early warning, organizations have no way to intervene and prevent possible violence.
Frequently Asked Questions
That sounds like profiling!
Absolutely not! My program focuses on behavior alone. Race, religion, background, and even motivation do not matter.
Is your program what they call “active shooter training”?
Our approach goes beyond that. It’s far more comprehensive, and – we focus on prevention first. Of course, we do teach effective options for responding to violence. But the emphasis is on how to prevent these kinds of incidents from ever happening in the first place.
Can we purchase a part of your program as a stand-alone element? For example, just the employee training?
Yes, although I believe that all four elements are necessary to fully protect your organization and employees. Let’s say we train your employees, and they begin to report behaviors that concern them. Unless you have put your Threat Assessment Team in place, you may not have an effective mechanism for analyzing these reports and taking the appropriate action.
Do we need this training if we have police or security on-site?
Absolutely. Because officers may be anywhere on campus and the shooting may be over before they there to stop it.
As we’ve seen in recent mass shootings, the killers have actually identified law enforcement or school resource officers and shot them.
In the case in Florida, officers at the school actually waited outside the building before going in and confronting the killer. This meant more time for the killer to continue attacking.
We have a duty to PREVENT these types of incidents and not just respond to them. The FBI and Secret Service have both listed recommendations for training that identifies aggressive behaviors in people so intervention can take place before the attack ever begins.
What are the options for training our employees?
We have three options. One is live classroom training at your location. For classroom training, you should allow a half-day and up to 20 attendees per session. Our trainers can conduct two sessions each day, one in the morning, and one in the afternoon. If your organization has fewer than 20 attendees, you might consider hosting a training event and inviting others from the community.
A third option is our online course. It includes the same content as the classroom training and is available 24/7. Employees can work at their own pace from any computer, and log in as many times as necessary. And after successfully completing the program, employees can print their certificate of completion.
Then, after all of your current employees have been trained, The Online option is a great solution for new hires and annual refresher training.
What exactly should I expect to see if we engage your services?
We’ll start with the threat and vulnerability survey — that’s always the first step. When it’s complete, I’ll provide you with an assessment that gives you a clear picture of your organization’s vulnerabilities. We can then work with you to remediate any gaps we’ve discovered, such as missing policies or physical security issues. The next step is to conduct training. We train employees on aggression management, intervention, and response options. We also train your Threat Assessment Team, and finally, we train the crisis management team. At the end of this process, your organization will have in place all four elements that make workplaces safer.
I’m not sure I could actually confront an attacker.
Can you provide your services at multiple locations?
Our license and registration allow us to provide services anywhere in all 50 states and Canada
We’re a small organization. We don’t have the budget for a program like this!
My program is flexible, and I can work with organizations of any size to build a proposal based on your budget and needs.
I don’t think my organization is required to have a workplace violence prevention and intervention program.
That may be true. When you think about it, though, violence could happen at any business, school, hospital, or church. And if there is an investigation into a violent incident at your organization, OSHA can investigate and possibly issue a citation.
The OSHA General Duty Clause requires employers to provide a safe and healthful workplace for all workers covered by this Administration. This would include reducing the risk of workplace violence by ensuring appropriate measures have been implemented to provide physical security of the facility itself. Additionally, there would be an expectation that threats of harm and/or physical assaults would be immediately addressed and stopped. Employers who do not take reasonable steps to prevent or abate a recognized violence hazard in the workplace can be cited.
An employer could be liable under OSHA if a victim or victim’s family can prove that the employer knew, or should have known, that violence could occur. Under OSHA, an employer may also be penalized if the U.S. Secretary of Labor establishes that the employer violated the General Duty Clause. In order to establish a violation, the Department of Labor must prove a hazard existed, the employer knew it existed, the hazard was likely to cause death or serious bodily harm, and a feasible abatement method existed. In recent years, OSHA has applied the General Duty Clause in numerous workplace injury cases where no specific standard was in effect.
Contact Us Today to Schedule a Free Phone Consultation
855-695-0688 Ext. 5 or pete@petevanbeek.com
