Active Shooters and Workplace Violence

No one wants to talk about it. No one wants to bring it up at the corporate meeting. And certainly no one wants to discuss solutions. Because it is a real problem, and its closer to home than all of us would like.

In 2015, there was one week out of the entire year where there was NOT a mass killing in the United States (4+ deaths or injuries). The vast majority of those workplace violence killings are over by the time police arrive.

I know you don't want to talk about it. But chances are good if you're reading this, you're a manager or leader in your community and workplace. Since 2000, violent active killers in the workplace have increased by over 600%.

We will tell you plainly: If you don't take action to prevent an Active Shooter from happening in your workplace, it might actually happen. And you won't be ready. Everyone practices for earthquakes. Right? And we should: there are major risks and damages involved. But how often does a major structural and life threatening earthquake occur in the US? Not very often. Most terminology regarding earthquake risk includes a statement like, "in the next 50 years".

Terminology regarding violence in the workplace includes "how many times this year".

An active shooter is an individual or group of individuals killing or attempting to kill people in a confined and populated area. It happens on the highway. It happens at school. It happens in your neighbor's house. It happens in the grocery store. It happens at work. Every year an active shooter strikes in ALL of these places.

In fact, homicide is the 2nd leading cause of death in the workplace.

When we are no longer able to change our circumstances, we should be empowered to change ourselves. That is a key element of the TTA's mission, in every occupation and in every setting: now is the time to get ready. Now is the time to live without fear.

Visit www.massshootingtracker.org for updated statistics regarding mass shootings this year.