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Maybe There IS Something You Can Do

May 26, 2022
A look at what safety leaders can do right now to protect their employees from workplace violence.

It hasn’t been a very good spring for innocents and civilians, to put it succinctly. Whether it’s subway riders, grocery shoppers, church-goers or school children, their susceptibility to being in-harm’s-way for no other reason than pursuing the simple activities of their daily lives has brought to home—once again, and distressingly all too familiarly—how vulnerable all of us are to acts of violence.

As we mourn in sorrow and frustration the senselessness of these shootings, too often we hear, “If only there was something we could do about it.” And again, all too often some of the suggestions are heavily politicized: Ban guns. Institutionalize the mentally ill. Have armed security stationed at every school and place of business. “Vote for me, and I’ll make sure this never happens again in my district/state/country.”

Fortunately, for safety professionals, there are plenty of things you can do, and many of you are already doing them. The safety profession has been at the forefront in recognizing the need for policies and procedures that directly address the incidence of workplace violence, and what specifically to do about it.

Following are 10 recent EHS Today articles that offer insights, recommendations, tools and best practices for dealing with active shooters, in the hopes that something can be done to stop the madness.

Think and Survive Workplace Violence

Six Essentials for an Effective Workplace Violence Program

Protecting Your Workplace Against Active Shooters

Active Shooter Survival

Taking Action Against Acts of Workplace Violence

How to Improve Emergency Response During Active Shooter Events

Preparing for Active Shooters with Safety Technology

The Forgotten Pandemic

Can You Keep Guns Out of Your Workplace?

Survivor Stories: Negotiating Safety

About the Author

Dave Blanchard | Editor-in-Chief / Senior Director of Content

During his career Dave Blanchard has led the editorial management of many of Endeavor Business Media's best-known brands, including IndustryWeek, EHS Today, Material Handling & Logistics, Logistics Today, Supply Chain Technology News, and Business Finance. In addition, he serves as senior content director of the annual Safety Leadership Conference. With over 30 years of B2B media experience, Dave literally wrote the book on supply chain management, Supply Chain Management Best Practices (John Wiley & Sons, 2021), which has been translated into several languages and is currently in its third edition. Prior to joining Endeavor/Informa/Penton, he spent a decade covering the artificial intelligence industry. He is a frequent speaker and moderator at major trade shows and conferences, and has won numerous awards for writing and editing. He is a voting member of the jury of the Logistics Hall of Fame, and is a graduate of Northern Illinois University. 

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