| The workplace has traditionally been a dangerous | | | | security? In most organizations, no one!I do not |
| place. Very early in mankind's history perils | | | | advocate adding yet another layer of bureaucratic |
| emanated from the place and type of work they | | | | administration; however, I am stating the absolute |
| performed. Long before industrialization, men | | | | necessity of elevating our thinking regarding |
| mined precious metals, gems and fuel in the form | | | | safety and security to the executive suite. No |
| of peat and coal hidden beneath the earth's | | | | organization in the over-the-counter medication |
| surface. Extracting these materials brought with it | | | | market would think of introducing a new product |
| the risk of cave-ins and being buried alive. | | | | without first carefully planning what type of |
| Moreover, the quest for the most basic of all life | | | | tamper proof packaging would be utilized. In many |
| giving substances, water, could also end in sudden | | | | cases this would include multiple protective steps, |
| death or severe injury as well shafts were dug in | | | | such as glue sealed boxes as an outer package |
| the soft earth.Industrialization brought with it new | | | | and then an inner packaging incorporating a |
| and more interactive dangers to workers. | | | | further visible seal and possibly inside the bottle |
| Machinery in factories, on farms and aboard | | | | cap yet a third tough foil seal that the end user |
| steamships maimed and killed with here-to-for | | | | must puncture. All this for a five dollar bottle of |
| unprecedented regularity. By the 1800's, | | | | nonprescription pain reliever, because a decade |
| campaigns were already underway throughout the | | | | ago a handful of people were poisoned by a |
| rapidly industrializing world to introduce safety | | | | tampered product.Incredibly, many organizations |
| regulation and restrictions on child labor into the | | | | today will build new facilities, design new |
| public consciousness, amidst the rapid growth of | | | | processes, introduce products and services and |
| potentially deadly machinery. However, it was not | | | | enter new marketplaces with nary a thought |
| until the mid and even later 20th century that | | | | about safety and security issues until after all of |
| many of these measures found full legal and | | | | the critical business decisions have already been |
| societal support in the developed world. To this | | | | made. Only then, as an afterthought, are those |
| day, many parts of the developing world still do | | | | who understand the strategic breadth and depth |
| not protect their workers, including children, from | | | | of the real safety and security issues assigned |
| even the most blatant workplace dangers.Nor | | | | the task of implementation and often not at a |
| have machinery and type of work posed the only | | | | senior enough level to possibly make their efforts |
| hazards. Workplace violence, whether instigated | | | | truly effective.Old Habits Die Hard, But Die They |
| by striking workers seeking collective | | | | MustIt is time that our complacency feathers are |
| representation or employers attempting to curtail | | | | ruffled for good. If September 11th did not |
| the efforts of "hotheads" and labor organizers | | | | accomplish this in your organization then be ready, |
| have frequently ignited violence in the workplace | | | | because the next crises (and there will |
| both for those involved as well as those who | | | | undoubtedly be a next one) will. Unfortunately, |
| desired to distance themselves from the strife. | | | | history has proven without exception that every |
| Arson, sabotage, intimidation, threats, beatings and | | | | new weapon or mode of destruction ever |
| even killings have too often been the weapons of | | | | invented by man, has always, sooner or later, |
| choice to both sides of employment | | | | been put to devastating use. Even the ultimate |
| disagreements. Add to this the mayhem wrought | | | | crushing of the worldwide Al Qaeda terrorist |
| by anarchists, radical political factions, competitors | | | | organization will not insulate us from future |
| and, yes, guerillas and terrorists. The workplace | | | | despots and maniacs. Vigilance is indeed the price |
| has frequently been a very dangerous place, a | | | | of freedom for the citizen and government as |
| fact we often tend to overlook. The need for | | | | well as for the corporate organization. September |
| workplace safety is not new.Accepting Reality: | | | | 11th was a watershed experience. The lesson to |
| The first Step to SecurityToday, we face a new | | | | be learned from it is not that massive acts of |
| and in some ways, much more complex and | | | | terror are possible, but rather that they have |
| potentially far more dangerous scenario. Whether | | | | emerged as part of the fabric of life |
| in the form of a deranged current or former | | | | worldwide.We must realize that what we have |
| employee armed with automatic weapons or | | | | already experienced is not the upper limit of what |
| terrorists with their meticulously planned and well | | | | is possible or even likely. Executive planners must |
| funded covert operations, either attack can be | | | | anticipate that as long as purely evil people still |
| just as surprising and the carnage every bit as | | | | exist anywhere on the face of the earth, at |
| real and terrifying. To counter these threats, along | | | | some point we will face even more catastrophic |
| with the full spectrum of more insidious, if less | | | | events, possibly much larger on both a geographic |
| spectacular dangers, we must understand and | | | | and human scale, as well as in the resultant long |
| acknowledge the dangers as well as establish | | | | term effects of economic disruption. Armed with |
| appropriate preventative responses. We must also | | | | the explosion of technology and our rapidly |
| accept that we can never adequately guard | | | | increasing reliance upon that technology in our |
| against every eventuality. To believe that we can | | | | homes, autos and workplaces, just a few |
| make the workplace completely "safe" is to deny | | | | determined individuals can at least temporarily |
| reality. There will always be insufficient resources | | | | bring a nation or continent to a standstill and inflict |
| available to be committed for security purposes | | | | untold devastation.New Paradigms Require New |
| to make this dream possible. Furthermore, given | | | | Ways of RespondingGiven this new paradigm, |
| the freedoms, privacy and civil liberties we so | | | | everyone involved in leadership, whether a safety |
| cherish, people today will not accept the regimen | | | | and security specialist or not, must commit these |
| of restrictive and totalitarian measures necessary | | | | issues to the forefront of their strategic thinking. |
| for any attempt to ensure absolute security. In | | | | To do so will require a high level of personal and |
| fact, even if such measures could be | | | | organizational discipline. Other, more urgent issues |
| implemented, they would undoubtedly trigger a | | | | can easily crowd out longer range strategic |
| new round of violence, on the part of those | | | | concerns, especially with no new threats or |
| incensed by such invasive tyranny.Given the fact | | | | attacks to rivet our attention and compel |
| that we cannot guarantee freedom from any and | | | | immediate responses. When confronted with stark |
| all acts of violence, sabotage and other misdeeds, | | | | resource limitations, we must be careful not to |
| the question becomes how are we to ensure the | | | | reduce our commitment to the generally "unseen" |
| greatest possible measure of workplace safety | | | | activities that comprise a well conceived and |
| and security for both our employees and the | | | | systematically implemented strategic, organization |
| organization? To properly respond to this question | | | | wide safety and security commitment.Moreover, |
| we must rethink our fundamental attitudes | | | | if we are to take this commitment seriously and |
| toward security. What are the primary threats? | | | | not just pay it the lip service traditionally accorded |
| How far does the organization's responsibility | | | | in most organizations, we must above all forever |
| extend? It is certain that some trial lawyers | | | | leave behind us the "old school of thought" which |
| seeking massive damage awards for the families | | | | relegated the issue to treatment as an |
| of airline victims will attempt to assert that the | | | | afterthought. Instead, we must create so |
| carriers bear greater responsibility for failure to | | | | pervasive an awareness throughout our |
| properly screen passengers prior to the | | | | organizations, that everyone thinks systemically |
| September 11th attacks. However, do the airlines | | | | about safety and security. By systemically, I |
| have an obligation to go beyond federally | | | | mean from the very roots of the organization to |
| mandated standards? And if so, at what point | | | | its most far reaching operations, from strategic |
| would these same lawyers argue that the airlines | | | | planning to the daily conduct of the most basic |
| interfere with passenger rights of privacy and | | | | activities. It must be as much a top-of-the-mind |
| freedom from racial or ethnic profiling?We Must | | | | priority for the senior executives gathered at an |
| First Radically Change Our ThinkingToday, safety | | | | offsite retreat planning the organization's future, |
| and security must no longer be viewed as add on | | | | as it is for the janitorial and maintenance staff |
| services, afterthoughts to the way we operate. | | | | who are ever watchful for the suspicious package |
| Instead, we must think strategically as to how | | | | or security door left ajar.Our thinking and |
| these goals are to become pervasive in all of our | | | | awareness must be equally multidimensional when |
| planning and operations scenarios. For example, in | | | | it comes to thoroughly assessing all of the |
| those organizations that employ security services, | | | | avenues of threat and how best to combat them. |
| whether employees or contractor staff, to what | | | | In America today we are keenly aware of the |
| management level is the decision making | | | | threat of explosive bombs, but what about |
| responsibility for the overall scope of these | | | | "cyber" bombs in the form of maliciously planted |
| services delegated? Is this and other safety and | | | | computer programs fused to detonate at a |
| security functions included in the strategic planning | | | | predetermined time/event or the "employee or |
| activities of the executive leadership? Probably | | | | ex-employee" bomb, unstable, seething with |
| not, unless the facility in question is a nuclear | | | | hostility and armed on an emotional hair-trigger to |
| power plant and recent news reports indicate that | | | | extract vengeance against the entire organization, |
| even some of those corporations did not give this | | | | executives, supervisors and co-workers |
| issue the strategic weight that it should be | | | | alike.Today we must view our world not from a |
| accorded.Safety and security are not band-aids to | | | | mindset of paranoia, but rather a realism and |
| be applied at a very junior level of the | | | | awareness of the multitude of opportunities and |
| organization. Instead, every executive should | | | | conversely, the ever present dangers that |
| include these considerations as important elements | | | | surround us. The appropriate response is neither |
| of their daily decision making processes. I venture | | | | denial nor paralysis, but rather a steadfast |
| that if you are in a public company, every | | | | determination to pursue our future with every |
| significant decision is weighed beforehand at least | | | | ounce of vigor we can muster, while at the same |
| in part by what the response will be from the | | | | time understanding how each strategic decision will |
| analysts and shareholders. Likewise, any major | | | | impact the safety and security of the public, our |
| new corporate initiative is reviewed by the legal | | | | organization and its people.Copyright 2005 by John |
| department before public announcement. But who | | | | Di FrancesJohn Di Frances is an internationally |
| with the requisite knowledge and experience | | | | recognized organizational |
| "speaks" at the executive level to your | | | | legacy expert and professional |
| organization's specific concerns of safety and | | | | speaker. |