by Shane Henson — September 13, 2013—According to a new poll, the majority (94%) of workers in the United States feel safe and secure when on the job, despite the fact that 42% of the nation’s workplaces do not have entrance security. However, just one violent incident made possible through a lack of security could quickly put an end to employees’ false sense of security, and facilities and security personnel should not wait for such an occurrence to properly secure their buildings, points out Frank Kenna III, president of The Marlin Company, a workplace communications company and commissioner of the study.
About two million American workers are victimized each year by workplace violence, which includes everything from threats and verbal abuse to simple assaults, aggravated assaults and homicides, which is one of the leading causes of deaths on the job. Yet 42% of American workers say that in terms of security, anyone can walk into their building unchallenged, according to the report, Attitudes in the American Workplace XV, a national telephone survey of 751 American workers in June and July 2013 conducted by Zogby Analytics.
“Companies are turning a blind eye to serious threats of violence,” said Kenna. “In the East and in the South, roughly one-third of workers say that anyone can walk into their buildings. In the Central/Great Lakes region, the percentage is 54, and in the West, 44. And in terms of type of occupation, the lowest was 33 and the highest was 65. We’re not talking just restaurants here — it’s everywhere.”
The complacency, Mr. Kenna said, was further evident in that 19% of workers said their company did not have adequate security procedures, yet 94% said that they feel safe and secure at work. “It’s almost a cliché that everyone says they feel safe until someone who is after money, drugs, domestic revenge or who is grossly impaired comes in, perhaps with a weapon, and causes a tragedy,” he added. “Even simple assaults can cause debilitating injuries, not to mention emotional trauma. And they can be costly, personally and in terms of your business. Logically, if 42% say that anyone can walk in, virtually 42% have inadequate controls.”
