Active Shooter in Industry
I have spent the past 10 years working in Safety and the Public Safety arenas. During that time, I have seen and participated in a lot of discussions based around employee safety. The world is changing and as employers, safety professionals and public safety professionals we have to change with it. Active shooters are a hot topic and rightfully so.
As an employer (under the General Duty Clause), it is my responsibility to keep my employees free from recognized hazards. As a Safety Professional, it is my duty to inform the employer on latest trends, topics and threats in the workplace. We have to form a dynamic partnership with local Law Enforcement, EMS, Fire and the Local EMAs. This is often difficult to do.
How do we as an employer or safety professional accomplish this tedious task? Take some advice from someone who knows. Open the doors and invite your public safety folks into your faciliities. Give them copies of your floor plans. Preplanning is key to any emergency.
I invite each of you to think about the status of today's world. Step outside of the box. Scrub the thought process of "it won't happen here." "It won't happen to us." We have to maintain a heightened level of awareness and be prepared for the worst. Active shooter scenarios and workplace violence needs to be planned for. How are we going to address this?
1. Review your Emergency Action Plan regularly.
2. Plan fire drills, active shooter drills and toxic spill drills on a routine basis.
3. Get involved with the Local Emergency Planning Committees.
4. Talk to local responders and invite them into your workplaces.
5. Get employees in the mindset that sometimes bad things do happen and we have to be prepared
for them in the workplace.
6. Incorporate table top discussions, drills and exercises for all employees. This develops an instinctive
reaction.
7. In Active Shooter scenarios, train your employees to:
1. Run
2. Hide
3. Fight
