Workplace violence is a growing problem in the United States. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, workplace violence was responsible for 866 deaths in 2016, up from 703 in 2015 - a staggering increase of 23%.
The American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE), the world's oldest professional safety organization, is developing a technical report to address the issue of gun violence in the workplace, which is mostly responsible for the recent uptick in workplace deaths. Creating a technical report is considered an incremental step toward the eventual establishment of official workplace gun safety standards. But safety standards take years to develop, and ASSE believes that a technical report can still help prepare workplaces for gun violence in the meantime. ASSE expects the report to be completed before the end of 2018, and the report will be released following its registration with the American National Standards Institute (ANSI).
Said ASSE President Jim Smith, M.S., CSP., “The safety of workers in any setting is of utmost importance to ASSE, and unfortunately there is no industry or location that is risk-free in today’s environment. Senseless acts of violence have occurred in schools, night clubs, churches, government offices, manufacturing plants, shopping centers and many other places. As occupational safety and health professionals, we must help employers pursue preventive measures and help get more people trained to recognize and report warning signs in order to mitigate risks.”