Enhanced Non-Lethal Security Blog

As a leader in your community, you are no doubt concerned about public safety. Recently, because of high profile incidents in places like Ferguson, Missouri, and New York City, those chartered to protect the public have come under increased scrutiny.

You’ve no doubt heard the growing calls to outfit police officers with body cameras to record any incident that may occur with the public. But what about security professionals who are not sworn law enforcement officers?

Take me to the INFOGRAPHIC now!

There’s a lot of confusion among hospital administrators and security officers about how to abide by the numerous healthcare security guidelines issued by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), the Joint Commission, the Healthcare Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).

At the Guardian 8 headquarters in Scottsdale, Arizona, we're finally exhaling. The excitement - and the crowds - of the Big Game and the Waste Management Phoenix Open took over the Phoenix-metro area (on the heels of the Barrett-Jackson Auto Auction, no less), and security was a huge responsibility.

The public's focus on security might have been temporary, but those of us in the industry are always looking for ways to learn and ways to improve the way we keep the public safe at high profile events.

In recent months, there has been considerable attention paid to the security industry, especially incidents that have resulted in fatal consequences. In December, CNN aired an investigative series called “Hired Guns” that highlighted a perceived lack of regulation and oversight in the private security industry.

While considerable airtime and resources were dedicated to this special report, one important element was missing. That is a look forward at an important new non-lethal option that can help change the industry and provide a vital tool for security guards.

The recent incidents making the news in our cities across the country have led to calls for body cameras and alternatives that will de-escalate violence that many time ends in injury or death. Lack of knowledge of current technologies that can address these important issues more often than not leaves questions unanswered.

The call for safety must not just address violence in the streets but must also concentrate on that which occurs in schools, hospitals, shopping malls, stadiums, the workplace, and any venue where people gather. While the current focus is quite narrow, the solutions offered must be broad enough to target all violence.

Federal Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA)

Did you know that the Federal Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) requires employers who discover that an employee has threatened violence against managers, supervisors, or other employees may have to take certain preventive steps? OSHA’s General Duty Clause requires employers to provide employees with places of employment that are free of hazards that may cause or result in death or serious physical injury. Have you heard of a Worksite Assessment or Analysis for the determination of Risk Factors? If not, it might be time to learn more about this process. Failure to correct a hazard or to take corrective action in the face of an employee’s concern for their safety and security could result in a Negligence Civil Law Suit.