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CEO Notes
A reminder about the importance of situational awareness
It’s been several weeks since the attempted assassination of Former President Trump. Regardless of what side of the aisle you are on, I am certain we can all agree that this type of violence in America must be stopped. Violent acts in America are not new and I doubt we will ever see a time when we don’t have tragedies. I bring this up because I believe that all of us need to learn more about situational awareness, no matter where we are.
At work, it is critically important to understand the protocols of our companies for many different scenarios. Accidents happen, so preparing for the what-ifs will keep us safer. From fires to active shooters, every company should have an action plan for the safety of its employees. It is up to the employees to know and understand the company plan and have a personal plan in place to address their individual needs. This doesn’t just apply to factories or farms, but to all businesses. It's important for remote workers to have a plan on file with their employer as well.
Employer's plans should address the personal safety of the staff, the records, and the equipment. It should include training for all employees, so they are empowered to feel comfortable enacting the safety plan. I also recommend the plan addresses employee travel. When traveling to attend conferences, for example, employees should be trained to look for the exits, know where the nearest aid will be, not the address of the location (for a 911 call), and most of all, be sure that they have their medications for the time they will be gone from home. Situational awareness is knowing where you are, what is going on around you, and having a general idea of the resources available to you. Make sure your staff can feel comfortable reporting something that just doesn’t feel or look right.
Your employees go home daily! Why not help them have safety at home, too? Sharing information about community resources is easy and valuable. It could be a print document, pamphlets on the bulletin board, or a link on a company website. You could include local training events with fire departments, swimming pools, wellness coalitions, etc. It is helpful to include things like the 988 suicide crisis line, text lines for suicide or mental health emergencies, and even the phone number of the local public health department. Situational awareness at home might include providing information on ladder (they paint at home!), lawnmower or pool safety.
No matter where you are, you should always know how you will keep yourself safe. In the case of the Trump shooting, he had the Secret Service there to jump in and control the situation. In that situation, there was a plan in place (even if flawed) and it was carried out quickly, removing him from the area, to reduce further injury. You and I won’t likely have that much support, so we’ll need to do the work ourselves. The first line of defense is knowing the area, where the exits are, and reporting unusual situations to authorities.
I love connecting people to resources that help improve the safety of their lives. It’s been a great aspect of my career to be of service in this way. If you need help developing a plan, call us at TSS. Let’s talk through some of your concerns and see how we might be of service to you and yours.
Best regards,
Renee Schofield
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