The Transportation Security Administration will resume self-defense classes for flight attendants and pilots after not having the training for more than a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The classes come as the airlines deal with a surge in cases of unruly passengers and violent behavior on flights.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Victims of Crime, workplace homicides declined between 1995 and 2015. Yet workplace homicides are not the most common form of workplace violence — simple assault is. Simple assault is defined by the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) as an attack without a weapon that results in no injuries or minor injuries (e.g., cuts, scratches, black eyes), or any injury requiring fewer than two days in the hospital.
When an employee or security can rapidly and effectively incapacitate and control a potentially violent subject without physical contact and without any effect on bystanders or lasting harm to the subject, virtually all potential catalysts of injury from violence are effectively eliminated.
Slack rolled out a new cross-organizational direct messaging feature, and hours later disabled the option to send a message alongside an invite due to concerns that the feature could be used to send abusive messages or enable harassment.
According to the Emergency Nurses Association, healthcare workers account for approximately 50% of all victims of workplace violence. But they're not the only ones either. There are reports of increased domestic violence and workplace violence around the world as a result of lockdowns from the pandemic, increased stress levels and a lower threshold for confrontation.
Mass shootings in the U.S. have increased despite widespread closures of schools, businesses, and many public places due to the coronavirus pandemic. There were 615 mass shootings in 2020 resulting in 521 deaths and 2,541 injuries. Compared to the previous year, there were 181 more incidents. The stress of the COVID-19 pandemic, job loses, unemployment, and the economic crisis is a potential for a disaster which could lead to an increase of violence at the workplace. The recent spike in gun incidences and stolen weapons across the United States is alarming. Businesses need to take heed and increase security measures to protect their employees and staff.
The RAND Corporation released results from a 2019 survey requested by FEMA which was designed to estimate the prevalence of workplace harassment and discrimination within the agency.
The report, Death on the Job: The Toll of Neglect by the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL–CIO), features state and federal data on worker fatalities, injuries and illnesses, as well as worker protections. In particular, the report examines some of the industries and workers most affected by the pandemic. In addition, it found that workplace violence is the second leading cause of occupational fatalities.
