Staying Safe At Work
Last week a workplace shooting in Connecticut resulted in 9 people dead and 2 wounded. In light of this tragedy, I thought it important to acknowledge the scary reality and provide some suggestions to try to keep yourself out of danger.
It is a sad realization that we live in a world where such unneeded violence can occur. What this means for everyone is that in a place where we spend at minimum 8 hours per day, in a way our second home, we must still remember to keep our awareness up.
Here are a few tips to try to keep you safe out there….
1.Plan an escape route. Just like you do with your children at home, identify how you get out of the building safely and quickly if you needed to.
2.Create alternative scenarios. In some instances, there is only one way in or out of your area. You need to think about what you would do if someone is approaching your area and you are unable to escape. If you are going to hide, where? If you are going to fight back, how?
3.Keep your ear to the ground. In many cases the rumor mill gets around if there has been an unsettling event. If someone has been terminated and the exit did not go well, just keep that in mind and heighten your awareness for the next couple of days.
4.Watch for erratic behavior. Take notice of other employees acting out; erratic behavior.
5.Look around. Sometimes it is very easy for us to get caught up in our world around us. When you are up and walking around, be sure to make eye contact with others and watch the actions in your environment. The last thing you would want is to shave time off of a successful escape because you were not paying attention.
These are uncomfortable things to think about but being cognizant could save your life.
