Is Your Workforce Prepared for Emergencies?

A recent study demonstrated some significant gaps in emergency preparedness. While 87% of respondents stated that they were aware of their workplace’s fire drill policy, only 57% of respondents indicated their workplace had preparedness drills in place for events such as hazardous materials incidents, weather alerts, and active shooter incidents.

A recent study demonstrated some significant gaps in emergency preparedness. While 87% of respondents stated that they were aware of their workplace’s fire drill policy, only 57% of respondents indicated their workplace had preparedness drills in place for events such as hazardous materials incidents, weather alerts, and active shooter incidents.

A survey of 530 respondents conducted by Rave Mobile Safety examined employee perceptions of workplace safety and security, and the findings revealed that "workplaces miss the mark in critical communication and planning, and could be unprepared to meet the future needs of employees," Rave reported.

Additionally, the study reported, as the workforce continues to evolve with a growing number of Millennials and Generation Z employees joining, the way workplace safety is communicated may also need to shift.

53% of surveyed Millennial respondents were either unaware of their workplace’s emergency plans or said that their workplace did not have emergency plans in place. When compared to respondents age 45 and older, a big discrepancy is revealed: Only 34% of respondents in this age group responded the same way about their employers’ workplace safety plans.

Additionally, nearly half of the 45 and older age group said that they were "very likely" to report an issue in which their own or a co-worker’s safety was in question, but only 8% of Millennials said they were "very likely" to report an issue like this.

Most respondents agreed on their preferred mode of communication in the event of a workplace emergency: text message. However, only 37% of respondents said their workplace currently has a mass text message notification system in place.

The study concluded that employers must take steps to ensure that their organizations are prepared in the event of an emergency, whether it be a fire, hazardous materials incident or an active shooter situation.

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Study Finds Nonfatal Injuries Among Law Enforcement Officers Increased

An estimated 669,100 law enforcement officers were treated in emergency departments across the nation for nonfatal injuries between 2003 and 2014, according to a study by researchers at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). The study, which is the first to examine nonfatal injuries among officers on a national scale, was published online this month in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

Law enforcement officers (LEOs) have historically high rates of fatal and nonfatal injuries. The new research shows that officers are three times more likely to sustain a nonfatal injury than all other US workers, and is the first to capture nonfatal injuries sustained from assaults and unintentional injuries such as accidental falls or motor vehicle crashes.

"Studies based on evidence are an important feature of public health and this principle extends to studying the law enforcement community and their work," said NIOSH Director John Howard, M.D. "The safety and health of both police and citizens depend on understanding how policing tactics impact officer and citizen injuries."

The study researchers, whose aim was to provide national estimates and trends of nonfatal injuries to law enforcement officers from 2003 - 2014, found the following:

* The LEO nonfatal injury trend increased across the 12-year period studied; this is in contrast with the trend for all other US workers which significantly decreased.

* Assault-related injury rates significantly increased almost 10% annually from 2003 to 2011.

* The three leading reasons for on-duty injuries were assaults & violent acts (36%), bodily reactions & exertion from running or other repetitive motions (15%), and transportation incidents (14%).

The study used nonfatal injury data from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System - Occupational Supplement (NEISS-Work). Data were obtained for injuries treated in U.S. emergency departments from 2003-2014.

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