Violence lurks- But you can prevent it!
A secretary at a local insurance agency on Dauphin Island Parkway is sexually attacked and robbed... in her office.
A clerk at A convenience store on Moffett Road suddenly finds herself face to face with a teenager... armed with a gun.
And at A self storage facility, Mobile police are called to come to the aid of a woman who is believed to be held at gunpoint... by her husband.
Three different women... three different workplaces... but one thing in common. All three fell victim to a serious crime while on the job. Could anything have been done to make these women less vulnerable? Some employers are taking steps to offer their female employees more protection.
"One of my coworkers had an irate male tax payer, and he was very upset about his income tax situation."
That's Mable Jackson. Mable is a clerk at the Mobile office of the Alabama Dept. of Revenue. They deal with taxes and tax payers. Most are agreeable. But a few are not. Which is why there's a wall and windows in between.
"We've had threats of, I want to talk to someone!," recalls Mable. "I'm not paying this and those type of things."
Emanuel Roberts oversees workers at the office... and says security has been built into this building.
"The first thing in mind is the security and protection of our employees," he says. "We want to keep them away from the general public."
Here's how-
To enter the employee area, I have to have an electronic card that deactivates the lock. Those are issued to each employee. At each window, the clerk has an emergency button that can be activated if the clerk senses trouble or danger.
Overkill?
Consider this.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, homicide is second only to traffic accidents as the leading cause of death to women in the workplace. And more than 36 thousand rapes and sexual assaults occur each year to women while they're at work.
Dana Godwin with the Mobile Police Department says it's past time for women to begin putting their safety into their own hands.
"When a visitor or customer comes into your place of business, make eye contact with them first," she says. "People who are interested in committing a crime don't want you to memorize their face. I would make sure I speak to them and acknowledge they are there."
Try to keep doors locked when possible and try not to work alone. Let people know where you are when you go on or off break.
There are no state regulations in Alabama that specifically address the prevention of workplace violence. So the first line of defense could very well be you.
In Mobile, Darwin Singleton, NBC 15 News.
THE FIRST STEP IN MAKING YOUR WORKPLACE SAFE IS TALKING WITH YOUR EMPLOYER... ESPECIALLY BEFORE USING EXTREME MEASURES SUCH AS FIREARMS OR PEPPER SPRAYS.
THERE MAY BE RULES PROHIBITING THOSE KINDS OF ITEMS IN YOUR OFFICE OR BUILDING.
