HOW SAFE IS OUR WORKPLACE TODAY? What can we do to be prepared, protect employees and customers?

Have you ever thought about going to work expecting something really bad to happen? Of course not, going to work daily is part of a mechanical process. It starts when we wake up in the morning, make breakfast, prepare lunches to go, take the kids to school, check our iPhone texts “some of you while driving in stressful rush hour”, and before we know it, we arrive at work. We are already stressed out and a day full of problems is about to start. 
 
Unfortunately, life has changed. The sad truth is that we are not safe anywhere anymore. To give you an idea:
 

• People have been killed while attending church.
• Children have been killed at school.
• Distracted drivers, either by texting or under substances, have killed innocent people while they were walking.
• Disgruntled workers have killed co-workers for personal reasons.
• Recently, a medical doctor went inside a hospital, then shot and killed people.
• ISIS criminals have killed too many innocent people to account for around the world.

 
I will leave it there because the list of unsafe places is too long.
 
However, let’s go back to the workplace. Nothing can prepare us better for these unpredictable tragedies than knowledge and Awareness. Yes, there are few things that we can do to prevent or to escape some of the dangers that we constantly face safely, if we are prepared. However, what shall we do?
 

1. Changes in People: If you notice that a co-worker behavior has visibly changed, don’t keep quiet, talk to your manager and come prepared with accurate information of what you have noticed. It may be that the person is mentally challenged and stop taking medication, or the person is depressed and visibly upset with the “system” or any other matter that could potentially trigger a tragedy.  
2. Workplace Top Management: It is the responsibility of the leader of an organization to ensure that training and safety drills are offered regularly and that staff is required to attend. Why? Simply to create awareness and to prepare. A revised action plan is needed to address the “New” safety concerns that we are all facing and every single staff member, even if an entity has multiple sites, must be required to attend to be prepared. 
3.  Action Plan: Although extremely important, knowing where the building entry/exits are and not using elevators during emergencies are no longer the most important safety concerns. The new safety plan should include strategies for what to do when a co-worker goes postal; or when a customer disagrees with a worker and threaten to harm him/her physically; or if a weapon (knife or gun) is brought inside a building that doesn’t have metal detectors or armed security guards; or if a fight starts in a waiting room where numerous customers have been waiting for services for hours and suddenly they all decide to join the fight that will go out of control.   

The current potential acts of violence that we are facing today are extremely challenging for both, the public and private sectors and therefore, requires a myriad of non-traditional strategies to be prepared in the event that your office, agency, or building, either private or public, is unfortunately targeted for unexpected violence.