Workplace Violence from Community Based Crime

When it comes to workplace violence prevention, employers often focus on co-worker violence, and not on community based crime. Perhaps that’s because their employees don’t handle cash, or their workplace isn’t located in a “high crime” area.

But they should.

Community based crime impacts more than just convenience stores, and it involves more than just armed robbers in search of cash.

In this piece, I’ll cover how different types of community based crimes pose a safety hazard for your employees regardless of the nature of the work your employees perform. And how to prepare your employees to be safe from community crime.

Still working on putting together your workplace violence prevention plan required under California’s new workplace violence prevention law. Get my free CA workplace violence prevention checklist by clicking here. 

Workplace Parking Areas

Parking lots and garages are the third most common location for assaults and murders. And workplace parking areas are not immune from violent crime. 

During my litigation investigation days, I conducted investigations into assaults and murders that took place in workplace parking areas.

Catalytic converter theft, where criminals physically remove the catalytic converter from a parked cars in order to sell the precious metals the converters are manufactured with, have skyrocketed. Thieves can literally remove a catalytic converter from a parked car in seconds.

The recent tragic shooting death of an actor, as he and a co-worker left work at the end of their shift, by those stealing the catalytic converter from his vehicle, highlights just how significant and dangerous a problem this has become. 

And California Governor Newsom just signed a bill, making it easier to prosecute vehicle burglaries, when the contents of a vehicle are stolen. Vehicle break ins constitute one of the most common property crimes in California. And these types of break ins occur at workplaces too.

An encounter with a criminal breaking into a vehicle, or stealing a catalytic converter, can lead to violence, especially since many of those committing those types of crimes have a history of violent or are unstable from drug use.

And female employees are especially vulnerable to community based crime at the workplace. 8% of sexual assaults occur in the workplace, with many of those happening in workplace parking areas.

Workplace Reception Areas

Parking lots are not the only location at a workplace where community based crime can occur. The reception area of many businesses is accessible to the public. Community members, suffering from mental health issues, and anger management issues, as well as those intent on committing crimes like theft, and acts of violence, can literally walk right in the main entrance of most workplaces.

Even workplaces that utilize some form of access control, can still be victimized by a community member engaged in a violent act.

Reception areas are typically staffed by only one person, often a female employee, and there can be limited sight lines where other employees may not be able to realize a violent act is happening until it’s too late to stop it.

And in California, the home of the police chase, a workplace that is “freeway close” workplace can find themselves with the subject of a pursuit coming through the main door, while seeking a place to hide.

Working in the Community

Workplace violence from community based crime doesn’t just occur in the workplace itself. Employees, including service techs, tradespeople, outside sales professionals, utility workers, and others who work in a range of occupations that take place out in the community, are also at risk from community related criminal conduct. 

The heightened level of anger in our communities can lead to road rage incidents and direct confrontations with your employees. Encounters with people suffering from mental health issues, and drug addiction, have increased since the higher levels of homelessness that began during covid.

As a city councilor from the city of Santa Monica, who was attacked by a homeless man experienced himself.

And it’s not just in urban areas. Working alone in more isolated areas, including industrial areas and even rural areas, increases the safety risks your employees face when working directly in the community. One person by themselves is an easier target than multiple people together.

And this doesn’t even address the safety risks of working in “high crime” areas.

Safety Strategies to Avoid Physical Harm from Community Violence

There are many strategies that employees can use to avoid physical harm from workplace violence committed by members of the community.

• Parking lot safety training will help employees navigate the safety risks from community violence inherent to parking lots and parking garages.
• Implementing communication strategies, especially for reception area employees, that will help your employees alert others to a possible safety threat is a great way to lesson the risk of physical harm from a community member who enters the workplace.
• Training in safety threat recognition and situational awareness will help employees that work at the workplace and those that work in the community to keep safer.
• De-escalation training can help employees avoid physical harm by redirecting an angry community members thoughts away from violence.
• Implementing a buddy system approach when working in the community is a good strategy since there’s safety in numbers.
• Training in self-defense and changing the dynamics of an attack can reduce the likelihood of physical harm and allow employees to safely exit when there’s a physical attack.

 You can learn more about training employees in strategies to avoid physical harm that will help them keep safe from community violence here or by visiting my website www.mikecorwin.com.