As COVID-19 vaccinations continue, companies embrace hybrid work, employees return to the office and the U.S. opens up, violence and physical threats to businesses are occurring at an unsettling, record-high pace, according to a new study commissioned by the Ontic Center for Protective Intelligence.

As workplaces have had to change the way they do just about everything – from employees working remotely, to virtual meetings and conferences, and more, planning for an emergency has had to change as well. Prevention, response, and mitigation planning is critical to ensure employee safety operations and business continuity in the out years. Here are four steps that you should keep in mind as you update and improve your organization’s emergency response and recovery plans.

First responders from emergency agencies throughout Washington and Benton counties in Washington state participated in a multi-regional response drill at Farmington High School.

“Today, your child’s school will have an active shooter drill.” This seemingly simple sentence has become a source of contentious debate across the United States in recent years. Despite the rarity of mass shootings occurring at school, approximately two-thirds of parents of teenagers express worry about a school shooting, according to Pew Research.

The National Association of School Psychologists (NASP), the National Association of School Resource Officers (NASRO), and Safe and Sound Schools (SASS) have partnered to release updated guidance on conducting armed assailant drills in schools. The author organizations represent key stakeholders in school safety and crisis planning, preparedness, and implementation. This includes school-employed mental health professionals, school security and law enforcement, school administrators, other educators, and families. 

An Ohio woman was arrested over the weekend for falsely reporting an active shooter situation at the Navistar manufacturing plant in Ohio.

Tulane University police officer who was working security for the George Washington Carver High School basketball team this weekend was shot and killed after he went to help another staff member that was punched by a man trying to enter the game without a mask on.

Mass shootings in the U.S. have increased despite  widespread closures of schools, businesses, and many public places due to the coronavirus pandemic. There were 615 mass shootings in 2020 resulting in 521 deaths and 2,541 injuries. Compared to the previous year, there were 181 more incidents. The stress of the COVID-19 pandemic, job loses, unemployment, and the economic crisis is a potential for a disaster which could lead to an increase of violence at the workplace. The recent spike in gun incidences and stolen weapons across the United States is alarming. Businesses need to take heed and increase security measures to protect their employees and staff.