[Infographic] The Impact of Workplace Violence

By Lowers & Associates,

workplace violence infographic

Violence in the workplace undeniably affects the individuals who are directly attacked. But the impact also extends far beyond these direct victims to co-workers, clients, executives, shareholders and even out to the community. There are direct losses related to medical bills, workers’ comp and legal fees, as well as indirect losses reflected in diminished productivity, low morale and negative publicity – all of which can damage a company’s reputation long-term. The impact is extensive and can carry a tremendous cost.

“It is not just the victims, who are injured… the workplace also pays a price with disengaged performance and increased health risks… It is imperative, to the business bottom-line, that employees are protected…” — The Roadmap to Mental Health and Excellence at Work, 2005

Prevention is key.

Learn about what constitutes workplace violence, who is at the greatest risk, and what can be done to proactively predict, prevent, and quickly recover from incidents in our latest infographic.

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Why Hope is Not a Risk Management Strategy

By Lowers & Associates,

Low-probability, high-impact events are something that most individuals and organizations would rather ignore. After all, chances are it won’t happen to you. Serious workplace violence events, active shooter incidents, and other unsavory threats are on the rise but it’s easier to assume it will happen to someone else. We don’t want to think about our own mortality or that of our organizations. Instead, we hope it won’t happen to us, to our employees, to our customers, or to our communities.

But then there are these facts:

  • 18% of all crimes committed occur in the workplace
  • Jury awards in workplace violence cases typically run in the millions of dollars
  • 70% of active shooter incidents occur in business or educational environments
  • Workplace violence is the number one cause of workplace fatalities for women

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Threat Assessment: Knowing Your Risks

By Lowers & Associates,

threat assessment

The ultimate goal of any security program is to manage and mitigate risks. What do we mean by risk? In its broadest sense, risk can be defined as the likelihood of loss of anything having value, including people, facilities, information, equipment, and reputation. In a sense specific to security and loss prevention, risk is the probability that a particular threat will exploit a given vulnerability, leading to an unwanted result.

Knowing your risks is the obvious first step. But what is the best approach? And where do you go from there? Here are some key considerations:

Identifying Threats

First and foremost, identifying the threats to your business is instrumental. It is likely that your institution already has experience with a number of risk factors, but it is important to understand the rate in which new threats arise. It is crucial, therefore, to monitor emergent threats targeting your industry. This can often be accomplished by reading trade publications, engaging in discussions at industry conferences and loss prevention forums, and by obtaining case studies. Also, a number of sources provide crime metrics, some of which are industry specific, and can be very beneficial in identifying threats. … Continue reading