by Dennis A. Davis, Ph.D.; Director of Client Training at Ogletree Deakins and nationally recognized expert on workplace violence prevention
In our world today, violence almost seems inevitable.
In addition to the myriad random acts of violence that occur daily in society, violence also rears its ugly head in our workplaces: In 2020, for instance, there were 392 workplace homicides and 37,060 nonfatal injuries in the workplace in 2020, according to the most recent U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data. And data from The Violence Project — a nonprofit research center funded by the National Institute of Justice — shows that workplaces are the most common mass shooting sites
Thankfully, employers and employees can take certain actions to reduce the frequency and severity of violence in the workplace. While every incident of violence is unique, there are enough similarities in recent acts — such as at Ohio’s Nationwide Children's Hospital; at Old National Bank in downtown Louisville, Kentucky; and California’s Half Moon Bay shooting in January, to name a few — to prompt suggestions on how employers or their employees should handle themselves should such an unfortunate circumstance occur.
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