Workplace Violence – What, Where, Who & How to Prepare?
Of the newer exposures facing privately owned companies today, one of the most frightening is workplace violence. In fact, workplace violence is the second leading cause of work-site deaths in the United States. According to the U.S. Department of Justice’s annual National Crime Victimization Survey, as many as 2 million violent acts are reported each year in the United States alone. The Workplace Violence Research Institute has estimated that the cost of those incidents exceeds $36 billion annually.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 20,050 workers in the private industry experienced trauma from nonfatal workplace violence in 2020. Violent incidents can be devastating, as they have the potential to destroy a company’s bottom line and threaten its survival. Companies that deal with the public, exchange money, deliver goods and services, or operate late at night are at an increased risk, especially when dealing with unstable or volatile individuals. Workplace Violence Insurance provides coverage for the financial loss associated with incidents of violence in the workplace.
What is workplace violence? Any threatening, disruptive behavior that occurs in the work setting, such as physical assault, harassment, threats, or intimidation.
Where? Work Setting = Location where an employee performs a work-related duty, such as:
The building
The building’s perimeter
Field locations
Client’s homes
Travel to and from work assignments
Conferences
Trade shows
Work-related social events
Other off-site, business-related functions
Who? Challenges & Risk Factors:
Companies that host, support, or house large numbers of staff, customers, children, and the vulnerable are exposed to active assailant attacks.
Different industry groups will have their own unique challenges and each attack brings several challenges depending on their operations and need to prepare accordingly.
Companies currently face unprecedented challenges with recent world events.
Compounding and increasing malicious attacks pose another challenge that can threaten business resilience and income.
How to Prepare? You can prepare by implementing a:
Response plan
Crisis management
Protections in place for employees and operations
Insurance solutions are available. Marsh McLennan Agency (MMA) has their own proprietary program. Coverage includes a broader definition of terrorism (not limited to religious, political, or ideological motivations) property damage, business interruption (even due to threatened environment) and extra expense, legal liability, increased workplace costs due to an event. For our Temp Staffing clients: off-site coverage is available, and it can extend to temp employees.
Contact an MMA representative to learn more about workplace violence and active assailant coverage, prevention tools and risk control solutions.
Available services:
Insurance Solutions
Pre-incident mitigation
Incident Response
Post attack recovery
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