Active shooter incidents in the United States from 2000-2013 took the lives of 486 people with 557 wounded (1). The majority of these incidents occurred in commerce/business and educational occupancies. The specter of terrorism has intensified in recent years as ISIS inspired individuals perpetrate acts of violence in the United States, Europe, and around the world. Since the terrorist attacks of 9/11 there have been 276 terrorist incidents in the United States resulting in 124 fatalities and 580 injuries. (2) As significant as these casualty statistics are, 417 work-related homicides occurred in the United States in 2015. (3)
Statistically, workplace violence claims 50 times more victims than terrorism or active shooter incidents.
The specter of violence includes terrorism, bomb threats, suspicious packages, workplace violence, domestic violence perpetrated in the workplace, protests, civil disturbances, abduction, and kidnapping. Read Preparedness, LLC’s comprehensive paper on acts of violence. It defines the problem, and provides guidance for the different acts of violence. Risk assessment, physical/operational security, prevention/deterrence, protective actions, continuity/recovery, and program implementation are addressed. Risk managers, human resources professionals, EH&S professionals, facilities managers, and security managers each have a role in preparedness.
1. Blair, J. Pete, and Schweit, Katherine W. A Study of Active Shooter Incidents, 2000 - 2013. Texas State University and Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Department of Justice, Washington D.C., 2014
2. Global Terrorism Database, National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism, A Center of Excellence of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20740 available at http://www.start.umd.edu/
3. Fatal Occupational Injuries, 2015, U.S. Department of Labor Statistics, December 16, 2016
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