Shortly after noon on Saturday, August 31, Seth Ator was fired from his job as an oilfield services truck driver. Five hours later, he was gunned down by police after having killed 7 and wounding 22 people in a bizarre shooting rampage that shattered the west Texas towns of Midland and Odessa. Investigators discovered that there had been many warning signs over the last ten years that indicated that Ator was a ticking time bomb. The incident fueled the ongoing national debate on gun violence and sparked conversations on the subject of workplace violence.
The latest statistics from the National Safety Council reported that in 2017 workplace violence resulted in 18,400 injuries and 458 fatalities. In the corporate world, it is common policy that employees who engage in documented incidents of workplace violence should be terminated. Most companies have adopted a zero-tolerance policy regarding troubled employees who make serious threats or display erratic or troubling behavior because of potential liability issues, harm to employee morale, and the potential harm to other employees.
There are several warning signs that an employee may be starting to become unstable. If a previously normal and productive employee starts to exhibit unusual personality or behavior changes, you should take notice. These include:
- Unexplained absenteeism, change in behavior or decline in job performance
- Depression, withdrawal or suicidal comments
- Paranoia or emotional responses to criticism, mood swings
- Violation of company policies, especially the excessive use of alcohol or drugs
Experts suggest that these warning signs should prompt management to seek a professional threat assessment by security professionals. At Teachout Security Solutions, we believe that while you can’t always prevent a crisis, you can always be prepared for one. We have developed several programs to provide essential services in crisis management at varying levels of severity.
The Healthcare industry has its own special set of concerns. Our proprietary Managing Agitated Patients program is based on an inter-disciplinary threat assessment team approach to workplace safety and includes the four critical elements to keep your team safe:
- Pre-escalation training in order to reduce incidents
- Verbal de-escalation
- Physical management (i.e. patient restraints)
- Defensive tactics
The High-Risk Employee Assessment and Termination program prevents employee termination from becoming a workplace violence situation. Our process identifies employees who may represent a high risk of potentially dangerous behavior. We research the employee’s history, facility layout, and develop a plan with management for contingencies that could occur during the termination, including working with the appropriate law enforcement agencies. Our agents may monitor and accompany management through the termination process, escort the terminated party off the company property, and provide a security presence at the facility for a period of time following termination, if our threat assessment indicates the possibility of retaliation.
Our highly trained Emergency Response capabilities cover everything from a faulty alarm system to broken windows to disruptive or aggressive customers to a natural disaster. Whatever the emergency, Teachout is uniquely qualified to provide an immediate response where you need it when you need it. Our officers are aware that they are not only representing Teachout Security Solutions but your organization as well. Professional, reliable and prepared are the hallmarks of our world-class services. Our emergency response services include:
- Immediate response
- Emergency procedure implementation
- Reporting to law enforcement and fire departments
- Asset protection and retention
- Highly visible professional officers
- Frequent patrol of facility
- Access control
- Crowd control
No matter your security needs around town or across the country, you can depend on the world-class professionalism of Teachout Security Solutions. Call us today for a discreet, private discussion of your workplace security concerns.