Workplace Violence 1: The Scope of the Problem

Mar 23, 2016 | Security, Security Guards

Regrettably, workplace threats and violence are real concerns for all businesses today. According to a 2012 survey by the Society for Human Resource Management, over one-third of all businesses have reported an incident.

SHRM defines workplace violence as:

Assaults and other violent acts or threats that occur in or are related to the workplace and entail a substantial risk of physical or emotional harm to individuals or damage to company resources or capabilities. Workplace violence may involve employees, clients and vendors of the affected organization as well as those who do not have a relationship with the organization but who may know the intended victims.

Workplace Violence in the U.S.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that there were 403 workplace homicides in the United States in 2014. The Bureau reports, “Nearly 2 million American workers report having been victims of workplace violence each year. Unfortunately, many more cases go unreported.”

For a business in our country, there is a 1 in 69,000 chance that a workplace violence incident could happen on their property. Those are some pretty long odds, but do you really want to take that risk?

In California

In 2013 there were 397 workplace fatalities due to violence. The State of California reported 43 of those, or roughly 10% of the total in the U.S. that year.

Not every state addresses workplace violence or a safe working environment in their legislation. But California does. California Labor Code 6400 requires every employer to furnish “a place of employment that is safe and healthful for the employees therein.” Thus, to stay compliant with the law, businesses in the state must take steps to maintain a safe workplace.

One of the ways you can do that is by posting a security guard on your property or at your business. The presence of a security guard acts as a deterrent to most workplace violence incidents. If an incident does occur, then the guard can break it up, never allowing that event to turn fatal.

Learn how the highly-trained officers of American Security Force can keep your property and business safe. Call us today at 877-722-8585.

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