The tragic and unnecessary gun violence in Maryland and Delaware this week took three lives and left three others with critical injuries. In the wake of mourning those lives lost, employers often worry of similar events in their workplace. But how can we, as employers, prevent violence in the workplace?
Employers take different approaches to minimizing the risk of workplace violence. Many employers implement employee assistance programs to ease tensions in the workplace and reduce the risk of violence. Others employ safety officers or security guards. Some employers even permit employees to carry concealed weapons in the workplace. Regardless of whether employers permit or prohibit concealed weapons in the workplace, employers should clearly state so in their employee handbook and other areas specified by Ohio’s CCW laws. And now is time to revisit weapons policies employers already have in place, as Ohio recently modified its CCW laws to revise “gun free zones” and the law on concealed weapons in parking lots. While we pray for the victims and families of these violent events, we as employers must continually evolve to keep our employees and our workplace safe from workplace violence.