Do the supervisors and employees at your organization recognize the warning signs of a possible episode of violence in the workplace? The recent tragedy in Aurora, Colorado last week has led to media focus on the warning signs that a person could potentially become violent. In addition, many employees may be concerned about their safety in the workplace in light of this incident.

While this wasn’t a an incident where an employee committed a violent act at his place of work, it serves as a reminder that violence in the workplace prevention —including being aware of the potential for violent behavior and having a disaster management plan in place--is crucial. In response, BLR is making its training session, Workplace Violence Warning Signs available to everyone for a limited time. This training session helps participants to recognize the threat of violence in the workplace and be aware of individual or situation warning signs of potential violence.

Whether it’s violence in the workplace or some other unexpected emergency situation such as a fire or natural disaster, its also crucial to train your supervisors and employees on how to react and respond to incidents when they occur. Employers with such a disaster management plan will be better prepared to respond to such incidents.

Threat assessment professional Wayne Maxey, of Baron Center, Inc., explains that such a plan should identify "who’s going to do what" during an incident, include an evacuation plan, and address post-incident issues, such as cooperating with law enforcement, making sure employees know how to contact the company for information about when to return to work, and helping them deal psychologically after such an incident.

BLR’s PowerPoint training presentation Disaster Planning: What Supervisors Need to Know trains your supervisors to effectively carry out emergency response duties in order to help keep your workforce safe.