Active Shooter Prevention is More Than a Legal Mandate

Active Shooter Prevention is More Than a Legal Mandate

Active Shooter Prevention Training - A Legal Obligation Now
The Beginning of this Generation’s Media Fascination to Report and now Respond through Training

With the unfortunate spike in active-shooter incidents, and the increased media attention such events spur, it is clear that employers will need to provide some attenuating measures to protect their personnel from this form of workplace violence.

– Active Shooter Prevention is more than a legal mandate.

– Prevention training is a virtuous leadership role and responsibly.

– Recognizing a potential threat and preparing for it.

– Hoping that it “won’t happen to me” is not enough.

 – Hope is not a good strategy

Active Shooter Expert Chris Grollnek explains the rationale of mandating Active Shooter Prevention Training during an interview last month with the Oregonian News.  The interview discussed the need to mitigate the 24- hour news cycle with everyday people at work while striking a balance of common sense  prevention training to prepare for this newer generation of mass murderers.

OSHA:

The General Duty Clause, Section 5 (a)(1) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) of 1970, requires employer to provide their employees with a place of employment that “is free from recognizable hazards that are causing or likely to cause death or serious harm to employees.”

The courts have interpreted OSHA’s general duty clause to mean that an employer has a legal obligation to provide a workplace free of conditions or activities that either the employer or industry recognizes as hazardous and that cause, or are likely to cause, death or serious physical harm to employees when there is a feasible method to abate the hazard.

 Additionally, on January 26th, 2013, The White House announced twenty-three executive actions to reduce gun violence in the United States.  While some of these actions are controversial and political in nature; one of them – Number 12 – is truly an apolitical, bi-partisan approach to solving threats of violence in our schools and public institutions:  It reads in whole ““Provide law enforcement, first responders, and school officials with proper training for active shooter situations.”

 Executive Action 12 of January 26, 2013:

 Provide law enforcement, first responders, and school officials with proper training for active shooter situations.”

Recent court rulings throughout the country have allowed negligence suits filed by victims of Active Shooters to proceed against employers for failing to provide defensive training to their employees.  In other words, companies can no longer avoid their corporate responsibility to provide training on both how to spot potential active shooters and on how react if so confronted.

But, again, this is more than a simple calculus of risk reduction: it is about providing competent and effective protective training to persons in your charge.  It is the essence of caring and virtuous leadership.

For more, visit: www.countermeasureconsulting.com

Chris Grollnek

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