Category: Emergency Preparedness
“It could never happen here” is not an acceptable attitude when it comes to emergency preparedness. Security professionals must be ready to work alongside other employees within the organization in the event of workplace accidents, medical emergencies, natural disasters, or incidents of violence.
Violence in society—and the workplace in particular—is on the upswing. The prevalence of active shooter incidents drives home the fact that preventing workplace violence must be a top priority of security and HR managers across all industries.
Worldwide, natural disasters were cited as the cause of 10,000 deaths. Many of those occurred while people were at work. In addition, research shows that the number of recorded natural disasters has continually increased over the past century. So, it’s still critical, perhaps now more than ever, that our facilities and employees are well-prepared for […]
Editor’s note: This article was originally published in our sister publication, Patient Safety Monitor Journal. The International Association for Healthcare Security and Safety Foundation (IAHSS) in August 2017 released a report to address strategies to prevent workplace violence in healthcare. Those familiar with the healthcare industry won’t be surprised by its conclusion: Healthcare facilities need […]
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has released a new virtual toolkit to help first responders reduce their exposure to fentanyl and other illicit drugs. The toolkit provides resources to help keep first responders safe when arriving on a scene where illicit drugs, including fentanyl, are present or suspected to be present.
Security professionals tend to have their fingers on the pulse of their organization, though it’s not always easy to track potential workplace risks when there are few, if any visible red flags. Could you or your security team spot the red flags presented by an employee at your company that was be considering suicide? Would […]
Joseph Priestly, an 18th-century theologian, once said “The more elaborate our means of communication, the less we communicate.” I wondered what he would make of today’s world where social media, texting, Voice over IP, two-way radios, mobile phones, Wi-Fi, mass notification and more stream across our airwaves. Nowadays, our ability to instantly communicate with one […]
A well-constructed hazard assessment is one of the most important tools for preventing workplace injuries, illnesses, and fatalities. They help analyze potential situations to determine the risks they pose, and provide security teams with the data to decide how best to contain and control those risks. Unfortunately, one increasingly common hazard has thus far defied […]
As National Preparedness Month draws to a close, we hope that you’ve given the appropriate amount of thought to your workplace’s readiness. A top official with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) says certain elements of preparedness tend to be forgotten. Which ones? Find out here.
It’s now more imperative than ever that every employer develop and deploy a comprehensive and effective workplace violence action plan, given that the average workplace is now 18 times more likely to experience an incident of workplace violence than a fire, and active shooter scenarios are becoming much more likely.
Preparedness is prevention when it comes to injuries, but unfortunately not every company has proven itself up to the task. Read on to see how one company dropped the ball in more ways than one so that you can avoid making the same mistakes at your facility.