The safety topic for the month of February is workplace altercations

Are you prepared in the event of workplace violence? Though we work diligently to keep our facilities safe and secure, workplace violence can still happen anytime and anywhere. Each one of us should always be prepared to handle a violent situation. 

When workplace violence arises, remember to AVOID, DENY, and DEFEND.

AVOID starts with your state of mind. 

• Pay attention to your surroundings 

• Have an exit plan

• Move away from the source of the threat as quickly as possible

• The more distance and barriers between you and the threat, the better 

DENY when getting away is difficult or maybe even impossible.

• Keep distance between you and the source

• Create barriers to prevent or slow down a threat from getting to you

• Turn the lights off and silence your phone

• Remain out of sight and quiet by hiding behind large objects 

DEFEND because you have the right to protect yourself. 

• If you cannot AVOID or DENY, be prepared to DEFEND yourself

• Be aggressive and committed to your actions

• Do not fight fairly. THIS IS ABOUT SURVIVAL.

Please visit www.avoiddenydefend.org and www.ready.gov/public-spaces#content to learn more about how you can prepare yourself in the event of workplace violence. Preparedness starts with ourselves. Information courtesy of the ALERRT program of Texas State University.