Planning and Preparing for Workplace Violence - a review of automated safety

Author: Tyler Weston, CEO - Safer with SCOUT

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Is Technology Enough? The Answer is a Resounding “NO”

We are fortunate to be living in the “Digital Revolution,” which began in 1975 and continues today. We are experiencing some of the greatest technological advancements known to humankind. Today, we are surrounded by artificial intelligence, 5G technology, high-speed internet, smartphones, and quantum computing. While these technologies have arguably made life easier and more efficient, they are also being overly relied upon in certain instances.

For example, in 2015, Tesla introduced the first autonomous vehicle on its Model S. By 2019, Tesla included standard autopilot features in all its vehicles. While this technology is impressive in theory, it comes with significant caveats. Since the introduction of autonomous vehicles, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) database reports 3,979 incidents involving these vehicles, 496 of which resulted in injuries or fatalities. These incidents include crashes into stopped emergency vehicles, phantom braking, wrong-way driving, and failures to detect pedestrians and cyclists. It's important to note that Tesla is not the only manufacturer facing issues with autonomous vehicle technology. Major carmakers such as General Motors, Ford, Waymo (Google), Honda, Subaru, Toyota, and many others have all experienced incidents involving autonomous vehicles.

The point is: while technology is excellent when it works, it is unwise to rely solely on it to keep us safe.

A more sobering example occurred during the Antioch High School shooting in Nashville, TN, in January 2025. The school had installed an AI-powered gun detection system integrated into its existing security cameras, designed to automatically detect and identify weapons and alert authorities. Unfortunately, the system failed. A 17-year-old student brought a gun into the school, opened fire in the cafeteria, killed one student, injured another, and then took his own life. Afterward, the company responsible for the system stated it had not malfunctioned—the shooter had simply concealed the weapon in a way that made detection impossible. Again, in theory, this technology should have worked.

However, the Antioch incident highlights the limitations of technology and the urgent need for multi-layered security measures to truly mitigate the risks of gun violence. I’m not suggesting that technologies like gun detection systems are bad or should be avoided. Rather, I’m emphasizing that technology is only one layer of a comprehensive security strategy. In today’s increasingly violent world, believing that technology alone can provide a security blanket is a mistake. The human element in safety, security, and self-preservation remains crucial. Technology and human intervention must work in tandem to strengthen an organization’s safety plan. Just as autonomous vehicles require a manual override option, workplaces must also be prepared to act when technology fails—especially in crisis scenarios like an active shooter situation.

So, what additional layers should a security plan include beyond technology? The answer is straightforward and can be implemented within any organization. Layers such as pre- and post-employment background checks, drug and alcohol testing, and safety education and training create concentric circles of protection for your workforce, vendors, clients, and the public. While pre-employment checks offer a “point-in-time” safeguard, only ongoing post-hire monitoring combined with proactive training—especially in situational awareness and critical incident response—can close risk gaps and foster a strong safety culture.

Of all the layers mentioned, training and education are the most critical. Studies show that only 37% of employees feel safe at work. In 2025, it’s fair to assume that most workplaces have implemented some level of security technology, such as cameras, access control systems, or alarms. However, these systems alone are insufficient. The human element must be trained—and that level of preparedness only comes from consistent and relevant education, not from technology alone.

The goal of training is to create a conditioned response. Under extreme stress, the body enters “fight, flight, or freeze” mode. As stress levels rise, we experience physiological effects such as increased heart rate, tunnel vision, loss of fine motor skills, and impaired critical thinking. Ongoing training helps override these effects. There’s a reason first responders and military personnel constantly train under high-stress conditions: people who are untrained and unprepared will not respond the way they think they will in a crisis. A conditioned response can save lives when seconds matter.

Furthermore, data from OSHA and the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) shows that in 2024, approximately two million U.S. workers were victims of workplace violence, with 458 workplace homicides reported. Workplace violence costs businesses over $130 billion annually due to lost productivity, medical expenses, and legal fees. The healthcare and social services industries are experiencing the highest rates of violence. This data, while alarming, offers a critical lesson.

Ask yourself: Does your organization’s security plan offer a comprehensive, multi-layered solution to keep employees safe? If your answer is “no” or if you’re unsure—we can help.

The Noble Group of companies offers a robust menu of employment screening solutions and both online and in-person training and education programs designed to safeguard your workplace and boost employee confidence. Our proactive approach helps you build a strong safety culture that improves retention, engagement, and productivity.

To close, ask yourself: In a world where 458 workplace homicides occurred last year, is technology alone enough to protect your workforce if the unthinkable happens?

The answer is a resounding “NO.” You must add that essential layer of human-centered protection within your organization.

After all, you owe it to your stakeholders—and most importantly, to your employees and their families.The society we live in today is vastly different from the society we lived in one decade ago. Going to work each day completely tuned out to our surroundings, failing to be diligent, and ignoring the red flags of workplace violence are no longer acceptable. Since 2019, the influx of workplace violence incidents has continued to rise to new levels as each year passes. Recent data shows that more than two million workers in the U.S. will face some form of workplace violence each year – and those are just the reported cases. Current estimates show that workplace violence costs U.S. companies around $56 billion annually. Despite the risk-heightened environment, only about 30% of businesses have established safety and health programs according to the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).

We are seeing now that U.S. courts are deeming businesses with no established emergency response protocol, workplace violence training/education program, and ineffective employment screening practices (a lack of due diligence) as being negligent when an incident happens within their organization. These negligent businesses are being ordered to pay huge sums of money, in the tens of millions of dollars, in the aftermath of workplace violence incidents for lawsuits, employee counseling/healthcare, increased insurance premiums, and governmental fines. This is not inclusive of the potential loss of business and partnerships from media coverage, the inability to hire and retain good people, and the reputational harm these incidents cause. According to The Washington Post, the average workplace violence incident where serious injury and/or death occurs will cost a business around $38.5 million in total loss. The importance of this data is to understand that the majority of businesses in this country cannot withstand a loss of that magnitude. Your insurance policy will provide you with little help.

It is also important to realize that in our industry we are being blunted by local, state, and federal laws/regulations that are making effective pre-employment screening practices more and more a thing of the distant past. As states continue to legalize drug use and prohibit pre-employment drug screening, compounded by the “ban the box” campaign to suppress background checks, we must seek other ways to ensure our diligence as we owe our employees a safe and secure workplace. The 2023 Verkada Workplace Survey showed that only 37% of workers feel safe in their workplace. So, think about that… only one in three of your employees who walk through your doors every day feels safe being there. I realize that this is a national survey and not conducive to every business, but the point is well taken. How can we change that view for our workers? What can we do to make them feel safer? As data shows, a workplace that feels safe is more productive, more engaged, and less likely to leave to seek alternative employment.

Finally, I have some good news. There are ways that we can make our organizations safer and more prepared. First and foremost, a safety culture must be established. This will start at the top and employee buy-in is a must. As with any change initiative, organizational leaders are the key components, or champions, in establishing and grounding change. As stated earlier, we owe it to our employees to provide them with a safe working environment, and OSHA mandates it with its General Duty Clause. Below is a list of components that should be implemented to build a workplace safety culture:

1.     Construct a Workplace Violence Prevention Plan (WVPP). It is better to have a plan and not need it, than to need one and not have it. Every organization should have a WVPP in place. WVPPs have been mandated for employers in California by law as of July 1, 2024, and there are many other states currently drafting legislature to enact laws requiring annual WVPP review and a minimum of one hour of active assailant response training for employees.

2.     Control Measures aka “Target Hardening.” Address hazards and risks using access control, proper lighting, security cameras, placement of workstations, etc. Teach employees to challenge/question outsiders, who are not part of the organization, before allowing them to walk in the door.

3.     Build an Emergency Response Plan (ERP) and make sure all employees know where to find it and/or how to access it.

4.     Train and educate employees on topics such as active assailant response, critical incident management, situational awareness, continued behavioral observation, de-escalation/non-escalation techniques, and threat assessment.

5.     Create forms, protocols, and proper channels for incident reporting and recordkeeping. Ensure employees know how to report and when to report “red flags.”

6.     Evaluate your entire safety program and practices annually. This is not a document or something that can be created one time and hidden away in a cabinet forever. It must constantly be reviewed and updated with current best practices.

7.     Drill, drill, and drill some more! Schools do this all the time. Proper response in the event of a workplace violence incident requires continual functional conditioning drills to build muscle memory, making action second nature. Failure to drill will lead to complacency and unpreparedness should an incident occur.

8.     Have a vulnerability study conducted to assess current security risks and potential insider/outsider threats.

9.     Conduct regular testing of interoffice communication devices and conduct regular safety meetings.

Keep in mind that the list above is not exhaustive. It is a starting point. Building and maintaining a workplace safety culture takes time and effort. However, the reward for the effort you put in will be safer, happier, more engaged, and more enthusiastic employees. It is also worth noting that your efforts toward mitigating foreseeable risks will greatly help you in the event that an incident should occur in your organization. Insurance companies and the courts are drawing a line in the sand. At this point, you are either diligent or negligent. There is no in-between anymore. Remember, it is better to have a plan and not need it, than not have one and need it. Workplace violence is not going away. We owe it to ourselves to refuse victimization. The time is now to begin building workplace safety cultures through planning and preparation.   

If you find yourself asking where to turn to for help, The Noble Group welcomes the opportunity to assist. We have built and recently launched our Safer with SCOUT program, an online Learning Management System (LMS), encompassing many training and education courses that discuss in-depth the components of a workplace safety culture mentioned above. Beyond that, we can conduct site security surveys/vulnerability studies, create emergency action plans, draft WVPPs, provide in-person functional conditioning drills, and general security/risk consulting.

Please visit us at www.noblesix.us or www.saferwithscout.com for more information.