New Illinois Gun Law Requires Employer Action to Keep Workplaces Gun-Free
Recent Illinois gun legislation means employers will shortly confront a new, potentially troublesome work- place issue: concealed firearms. Illinois lawmakers have voted to override Governor Pat Quinn’s veto of House Bill 183, thus making Illinois the last state in the nation to allow the concealed carry of firearms. The law’s passage comes in the wake of last year’s Seventh Circuit ruling that Illinois’ ban on concealed carry was unconstitutional. The bill reflects a compromise between both sides of the heated gun control debate that has stirred controversy throughout the state for years. Though certainly a victory for pro-firearm advocates, the legislation includes a host of limitations for those wanting to carry concealed firearms. For employers, the new concealed carry law is important in at least three respects. First, it leaves it entirely up to employers, as property owners, whether to allow or prohibit the concealed carry of firearms in their workplaces. Second, if employers want to keep their premises gun-free, they must post signs to that effect “clearly and conspicuously” around the entrances to their properties. Third, employers must be aware that even if they do prohibit firearms and comply with the law’s sign requirements, guns may still be lawfully on their property if locked, and out of plain sight, inside a vehicle. Ultimately, it is up to employers to take affirmative steps if they want their workplaces to remain gun-free.
Read More OSHA Cites Company in Murder of Employee
The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) cited Integra Health Management of Owings Mills, Md., with two violations that carry combined fines of $10,500, after one of its employees in Dade City, FL, was murdered. Integra Health assigned Stephanie Ross, a mental health coordinator to administer a face-to-face hospitalization risk assessment of her client, Lucious Smith, who had a criminal history and was known for violent behavior. On Dec. 10, 2012, Ross visited Smith’s home to conduct the assessment. During that meeting, Smith stabbed Ross multiple times and she died at a local hospital. In citing the company, OSHA made note of the fact that Ross had notified her employer of her concerns about Smith. “This incident could have been prevented if the employer had a comprehensive, written workplace- violence-prevention program to address hazards and assist employees when they raise concerns about their safety,” said Teresa Harrison, OSHA’s acting regional administrator for the Southeast. The agency issued Integra a serious safety violation for exposing employees to incidents of violent behavior that resulted in death. OSHA also hit Integra with an other-than-serious violation for failing to report Ross’ death as a workplace
violation for failing to report Ross’ death as a workplace fatality. Integra plans to contest the citations. Smith was charged with first-degree murder and committed to a state mental hospital.
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National Retail Security Survey: 20-Year Update
The level of economic loss that occurs in retail stores is far larger than any other form of property crime in the United States; larger than auto theft, bank robbery, burglary, and personal robbery. The $35 billion in loss due to retail crime is the single largest category of property crime each and every year. Retailers are the most victimized by property crime and they need to do a better job of communicating this message, since ultimately the cost of retail loss either causes businesses to fail or is passed along to the consumer. Despite what most citizens and some naïve retailers would believe, the greatest economic damage is caused by dishonest employees, not shoplifters. Until we solve the problem of employee dissatisfaction and perceptions of marginality, the retail industry will continue to suffer multi-billion dollar loss levels and suffer shrinkage levels that negatively affect the profitability of the entire industry. The most effective solution to eliminating employee dishonesty and deterring shoplifting is in convincing staff that protecting the property of the store from theft is in the best interests of both the employees and the owners of the retail corporation. Sales associates must recognize that protecting the assets and merchandise from losses of all types will not only benefit the company, but will benefit the employees as well.
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W.Va. Classes Offer Survival Training for Workplace Violence
West Virginia's State Bureau of Risk and Insurance Manage- ment now offers free training for both public and private employees on how to survive incidents of workplace violence. The program emphasizes "run, hide, and fight" tactics, drilling participants on how to escape and, if neces- sary, how to engage an armed person in their office. Sessions are run by the bureau's John L. Fernatt, Sgt. Michael D. Lynch of the West Virginia State Police and Chuck S. Mozingo Jr., an assistant claims manager at the bureau. They are scheduled for at least two hours and include role-playing with fake weapons as well as lectures designed to help employees think of themselves as survivors instead of victims. Fernatt says these types of training sessions are so important because homicide remains the fourth-leading continued on page 4
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