In the last academic year, our neighbors in Florida and Texas each endured one of the deadliest school shootings since Columbine in 1999. 27 fatalities occurred between them, including five employees. From an occupational safety viewpoint, every person, who has business on campus, is an “employee.” Everyone has a job to do – teach, learn, direct, cook, clean, etc. OSHA defines “workplace violence” as any act or threat of physical violence, harassment, intimidation, or other threatening disruptive behavior that occurs at the work site. An effective violence prevention plan must take precedence over your response plan.
NIOSH outlines strategies or approaches that could apply to more than one type of workplace violence in the following way:
Any place – any time. Workplace violence can occur anywhere. How many times have you heard, “I never imagined it would happen here.” No one wants to believe workplace violence will strike at the heart of their equilibrium, but that does not excuse an ineffective prevention strategy.
Workplace violence is a growing concern, so employees everywhere should:
1) Be Informed,
2) Stay Alert, and
3) Report Suspicion.
A plan should be proactive (not reactive). Our safety professionals are experts in worker safety and will be advantageous to fulfill your strategy’s goals and implementation. “When you go back to school, you want something fresh and new!”