It seems like every week the news is reporting another active shooter incident; these incidents have truly become an epidemic. In the past few years we’ve seen schools, universities; movie theaters, military bases, and businesses face threats, scares and shootings. There are two ways to approach these active shooting situations: 1) Prevention and 2) Damage Control.

As a law enforcement officer, I spent a lot of time focused on damage control. However, as a Risk Advisor I would say that although we absolutely have to be able to respond if an active shooting were to occur, we would be much better served if we were able to recognize and prevent the shooting before it happens.

At Gibson, our mission is “To Protect What Matters Most.” Naturally, as the Director of Health Risk Management at Gibson, I would like to make the argument that health, and perhaps to a greater degree, vitality, matter most. Take a moment and think about that—your personal health. If you are like most people, you might equate health to the absence of disease or illness. Now think about your vitality. The dictionary defines vitality this way: exuberant physical strength or mental vigor; the capacity for survival or for the continuation of a meaningful or purposeful existence. In a way, vitality could also be described as wellbeing—a state characterized by health, happiness, and prosperity.

This brings me back to the mission at Gibson—“To Protect What Matters Most”. For the clients we serve, the “what matters most”, varies by organization and is dynamic in nature. In my role, I have the distinct privilege of serving clients who truly care about the health of their employees and their families. Without healthy employees, they know the work won’t get done—on the job or at home—and the vitality of the organization will suffer.

Publicly-traded, privately-held and not-for-profit organizations must continuously be on the look-out for ways to minimize or eliminate risk. Consequently, they purchase commercial insurance policies to pass on all types of risks associated with running day-to-day business operations. While the typical commercial general liability insurance policy offers important coverage for businesses, it does not provide sufficient protection for corporate executives from the personal liability they face from their capacity as business leaders.

In January 2014, there were 11 school shootings in 19 days. In addition, the number of threats and scares are on the rise. By implementing these 11 strategies, you will help deter and respond to an unwanted intruder.

Many companies rely on transportation to make their business work. From trucking and recreational vehicle companies, to municipal governments, to food and beverage distributors, there are millions of businesses that manage vehicle fleets designed to move people and/or goods from place to place. For these organizations, a good fleet management program can minimize and, in some cases, eliminate the risks associated with vehicle investment, driver safety, transportation costs and more.

The reason I left the Indiana State Police to become a Risk Advisor at Gibson was in large part due to the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. As a tribute to the lives lost, I’d like to share a few of the lessons learned. Included are the highlights from an article featured in Campus Safety Newsletter, 7 Lessons Learned from Sandy Hook. The article is very well-written and provides important insights based on the summary report of the incident.

I’ll give a brief warning that some of the content of this post is hard to read given the tragedy of the situation. However, I urge you to push past the discomfort in order to understand how to provide impact should you be confronted by an active shooter situation.

1. Actions by school personnel saved lives

For many, if not most, businesses, intellectual property—such as inventions, trademarks, trade secrets, business strategies, or operational details—is the most valuable asset they have. It’s what allows a business to differentiate itself from competitors, whether it’s a more efficient process, more robust sales leads, or a unique product or formula. According to some recent estimates, it makes up 75% of companies’ values.

Protection Is Necessary

Despite the importance of intellectual property, few businesses take even the simplest steps to protect their intellectual property—perhaps because you can’t typically protect intellectual property like you do other property. It’s an intangible asset; it’s found in electronically stored data, in documents, or in the properties of physical things. It’s not in the warehouse behind locked doors, barbed-wire fences, and a security guard. Someone can steal it without ever setting foot on your property. They can hack your network, copy your logo, or reverse engineer your product. They can even acquire the right to use intellectual property if you’ve failed to take steps to prevent others from using it.

But once your intellectual property is stolen, it’s tough to stop the bleeding. Since intellectual property—unlike something tangible—can be used by multiple people simultaneously, a compromised business may have to pursue violators all over the country and even the world before its damages are fully contained. Even that may not be enough. Intellectual-property theft costs businesses not only real money—an estimated half a billion dollars annually—but also time and resources spent on damage control, public reputation or good will, market share, and growth opportunities. You may never completely undo the harm.

All tools have safety considerations, and a ladder is no different. However, when you regularly use a ladder, you may begin to take ladder safety for granted. Falls are a leading cause of injuries and fatalities in the workplace and proper ladder safety is essential. This guide will take you through picking the right ladder, the proper technique for placing and climbing the ladder, and how to conduct maintenance checks to ensure ladders remain safe to use.