Violence in the Workplace

To be able to recognize violence in the workplace

How to react and what to do in a violent situation in the workplace

How to decrease your chances of being a victim of workplace violence.

Goals

What is workplace violence. What are the types of workplace violence

that you may encounter. Brief understanding of suspicious packages,

bomb threats, and active shooters Understand a suggested response to each Brief overview of the police response and

the suggested role that you play

Objectives

The following information are general guidelines and suggested responses to various situations. These guidelines are not intended to override any policies and procedures currently in place. Before implementing any of the suggested procedures, please check with your Legal Staff, Management, Human Resources Staff, and local OEM.

Disclaimer

• Harmful acts against employees, which include but are not limited to assaults, threats, verbal abuse, harassment, stalking and obscene communication

• Who commits workplace violence Strangers Co-workers Customers/clients Personal Relationships

What is workplace violence

60%

30%

10%

Type I (Stranger vs. Employee)Type II (Client vs. Employee)Type III (Employee vs. Employee)

Categories of workplace Violence

Verbal threats – 41% Pushing Shoving – 19% Shooting/Stabbing – 2% 2 million American workers are victims of

workplace violence each year 20 people are murdered at work each week

(approximately 3 deaths a day) 18,000 people are assaulted each week

OSHA Workplace Violence Statistics

Encourage employees to report and log all incidents and threats of workplace violence.

Provide prompt medical evaluation and treatment after the incident.

Report violent incidents to the local police promptly. Inform victims of their legal right to prosecute perpetrators. Discuss the circumstances of the incident with staff

members. Encourage employees to share information about ways to

avoid similar situations in the future. Offer stress debriefing sessions and posttraumatic counseling

services to help workers recover from a violent incident.

What should you do following an incident of workplace violence?

Piggy backing Propping open doors Fail to recognize strangers Fail to report Common trouble spots would include

stairwells, garages, restrooms Keep purse, wallet, valuables with you or

secured in a safe area

Safety Concerns

• Posted security• cctv/monitors equipped inside and out and are

MAINTAINED accordingly• Maintain good lighting• Identification badges/electronic key card system• Report suspicious activity(911/Non emergency

number)• Establish a zero tolerance policy• Develop or adopt and implement written security

policies and employee procedures• IF YOU SEE SOMETHING, SAY SOMETHING!• Don’t be reactive, be proactive

Prevention

Suspicious

Packages

• Any item that appears out of place or different from similar objects. An item that is suspicious to one person might not be suspicious to another. If in doubt, call police. “If You See Something, Say Something”

• In the past year, the Arlington County Fire Department responded to 10 incidents involving suspicious packages. – This does not include the number of calls that ACPD

were able to resolve without additional resources. (Forgotten personal belongings, etc.)

What is a Suspicious Package?

• No return address• Restrictive marking (e.g. Personal,

Confidential)• Misspelled words• Badly typed or written• Excessive postage• Lopsided• Rigid or Bulky

Suspicious Mail Indicators

Oily stains or discolorations Protruding wires Excessive tape/string Unusual sounds, odors, or substance

Indicators (continued)

Suspicious Substance:◦ Distance yourself from item◦ Call 9-1-1 and follow their instructions◦ Flush exposed area if applicable◦ Follow established guidelines

Suggested Response

Suspected Bomb:◦ DO NOT handle the object.◦ Leave the environment as is (e.g. Lights, A/C)◦ Do not use electronic devices within 500 feet of

the object (Cell Phones, iPods, Portable Radios)◦ Call 9-1-1 and follow their instructions◦ Follow established guidelines

Suggested Response (continued)

ACPD will dispatch units to a reported suspicious package. Responding units will assess the need for additional resources such as K-9 and EOD (Bomb Techs).

If EOD is needed, the surrounding area will be evacuated to all pedestrian and vehicle traffic.

The Fire Department will take command of the scene.

Police Response

Bomb Threats

The majority of bomb threats are received over the phone

Any employee who regularly answers phones should have immediate assess to a bomb threat call checklist to ensure detailed information is recorded for first responders.

ACPD has responded to 11 bomb threat related incidents in the past year.

Threat Received

• The first responding police units will need to make contact with the individual who received the threat.

• Access to the building will be restricted to reduce the number of people exposed to harm

• The determination to evacuate the building is the responsibility of he or she who has control of the premises.

Police Response and Your Role

If the decision is made by the incident commander, the building will be searched with K-9 and other personnel.

Building engineers with knowledge and access throughout the building will be asked to assist the search teams.

Response (continued)

Charlotte Franklin (Office of Emergency Management)Office: 703-228-0593E-mail: Cfrank@arlingtonva.us

Debbie Powers (Office of Emergency Management)Office: 703-228-3314E-Mail: Dpowers@arlingtonva.us

Resources

Active Shooter

Active Shooter: One or more subjects who participate in a random or systematic shooting spree, demonstrating their intent to continuously harm others. The overriding objective of an active shooter appears to be mass murder. The situation is not contained and very dynamic in nature.

Active Shooter Defined

4/20/1999 - Columbine High School

10/2/2006 - Amish School, Bart Township, Pennsylvania

4/16/2007 - Virginia Tech

11/26-29/2008 - Mumbai, India

6/10/2009 - Holocaust Museum, Washington D.C.

11/5/2009 - Ft. Hood, Texas

9/1/2010 - Discovery Channel, Montgomery County, Maryland

4/2/2012 – Oikos University, Oakland, California

Notable Incidents

96% of active shooters are male 98% of the incidents are carried out by a

single attacker The median number of deaths and

wounded with active shooter attacks is two for each

36% involve more than one weapon 46% of attacks end with force applied by

police, private security, or bystanders

An Active Shooter Profile

40% of attacks end with the shooter committing or attempting to commit suicide.

41%of shooters had a professional relationship with the closest victim, however, less then 1/3 of the incidents were committed by individuals who were no longer employed by the organization.

Profile (continued)

• Training: (Dept of Homeland Security Recommendations)

– Evacuate: Building occupants should evacuate the facility if safe to do so; evacuees should leave behind their belongings, visualize their entire escape route before beginning to move, and avoid using elevators and escalators.

– Hide: If evacuating the facility is not possible, building occupants should hide in a secure area (preferably a designated shelter location), lock the door, blockade the door with heavy furniture, cover all windows, turn off all lights, silence any electronic devices, lie on the floor, and remain silent.

How to Prepare

– Take Actions: if neither evacuating the facility nor seeking shelter is possible, building occupants should attempt to disrupt and/or incapacitate the active shooter by throwing objects, using aggressive force, and yelling

• Call 9-1-1 when safe to do so• Train occupants how to respond when

police arrive, follow instructions, remain calm, keep hands empty and visible to officers at all times, and avoid making sudden or alarming movements.

Preparation (continued)

• Conduct a security assessment of your building to determine potential vulnerability to an active shoot attack

• Identify evacuation routes and practice evacuations under varying conditions taking into account special needs.

• Designate shelter locations with thick walls solid doors with locks, first aid kits, communications, and food for an extended standoff

• Incorporate active shooter drills in normal emergency preparedness procedures

• Vary security guards patrol routes and times• Limit the access to floor plans and blueprints, but ensure

they are available for first responders.• Establish a central command for building security

Pre-Planning

• The goal of ACPD first responders is to eliminate the threat by any means necessary

• ACPD will begin an Immediate Action Rapid Deployment

• Contact Teams will enter the building, bypassing wounded, and engage the active shooter to isolate and eliminate the threat

• Once the shooter is isolate or eliminated, rescue teams consisting of officers and paramedics enter and begin to treat and evacuate wounded.

Police Response

Once the shooter is isolated or eliminated, officers will being to search the building in a systematic manner to identify and address any additional threats. This will most likely involve SWAT and K-9 Units and may take several hours.

Response (continued)

Department of Homeland Security1. Active Shooter: How to Respond

http://www.dhs.gov/xlibrary/assets/active_shooter_booklet.pdf

2. Pocket Guide http://www.dhs.gov/xlibrary/assets/active_shooter_pocket_card.pdf

Resources

Questions?