Head of Security builds workplace violence prevention programs that identify behavioral indicators, intervene before incidents occur, and keep organizations compliant with Illinois and federal requirements. Policy, training, threat assessment, and response, built as one program.
Workplace violence rarely arrives without warning. Research from the FBI and threat assessment professionals consistently shows that in the majority of targeted workplace attacks, the attacker displayed observable warning behaviors in the weeks or months beforehand. The people around them noticed. Someone reported concerns. Almost nothing was done.
A proper workplace violence prevention program closes that gap. It gives employees a clear way to report concerns, gives leadership a structured way to evaluate them, and gives your threat assessment team the authority and tools to intervene before concerns escalate into incidents.
The OSHA framework categorizes workplace violence into four distinct types. Effective prevention requires recognizing which types your organization is most exposed to and building controls accordingly.
An effective WVP program is not a policy document sitting in a binder. It is an integrated system of policy, people, process, and training. Head of Security builds each component and then ties them together.
Every industry faces workplace violence risk, but the specific exposure and compliance requirements vary. We tailor programs to your operational reality.
Illinois has specific workplace violence prevention requirements for certain industries, and OSHA enforces a general obligation to maintain a safe workplace. Compliance is the floor. A real program goes further.
Illinois Health Care Violence Prevention Act. Healthcare facilities in Illinois are required to maintain workplace violence prevention programs including a written plan, threat assessment, incident reporting, employee training, and annual review. Our healthcare WVP programs are structured to meet these requirements.
OSHA General Duty Clause. Section 5(a)(1) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act requires employers to provide a workplace free from recognized hazards, which OSHA has repeatedly applied to workplace violence. A documented WVP program demonstrates good-faith compliance.
Illinois school safety requirements. Illinois law imposes threat assessment and emergency response obligations on school districts. Our education WVP work is designed to align with those standards and with threat assessment best practices from the U.S. Secret Service and Department of Education.
Head of Security is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice. We build programs to align with applicable regulatory requirements. We recommend clients review final programs with their own legal counsel.
Most WVP consulting is policy work delivered by generalists. Ours is built by professionals with real threat assessment experience, drawing on our behavioral science methodology and direct law enforcement background.
Our programs use the same capability, intent, and opportunity framework used by professional threat assessment bodies. Not a generic checklist.
Our leadership includes former Chicago Police Bureau of Counter Terrorism command experience. We have worked real cases, not just written about them.
WVP connects to active shooter training, threat risk assessment, social media monitoring, and emergency planning. One program, not disconnected pieces.
When a specific concern surfaces, your threat assessment team can call us. We help evaluate, recommend, and coordinate the response.
Illinois requires a formal workplace violence prevention program for healthcare facilities under the Illinois Health Care Violence Prevention Act. For other industries, the OSHA General Duty Clause creates a general obligation to address recognized workplace hazards including workplace violence where risk exists. While not every organization has an industry-specific mandate, every organization has a practical and legal interest in maintaining a documented program.
A behavioral threat assessment team is a multi-disciplinary group, usually including HR, legal, security, and management, that evaluates concerns about individuals who may pose a threat and decides on appropriate intervention. Every medium and large organization benefits from having one. For smaller organizations, a designated point of contact with external threat assessment support can serve the same function. We help organizations stand up, train, and support these teams.
A focused WVP engagement including assessment, policy development, and team training typically takes four to eight weeks. Full program build-outs for larger organizations with multiple locations can run two to three months. Urgent situations involving a specific concern can be supported immediately while the broader program is built in parallel.
Yes. Live case support is one of our most requested services. When HR, legal, or management has a specific concern about an employee, former employee, customer, or other subject, we provide direct threat assessment support. That includes evaluating the indicators, recommending interventions, coordinating with law enforcement where warranted, and supporting the internal team through the case. Contact us directly if you have an active concern.
They work together. Workplace violence prevention training focuses on recognition, reporting, and intervention before an incident occurs. Active shooter training focuses on response when an incident is unfolding. The two form a continuum: WVP buys the time that active shooter training ultimately uses. Most clients benefit from both, delivered as one program.
Every WVP engagement begins with a consultation and a scoping conversation. If you have an immediate concern we address that first. For standard engagements we move into a formal workplace violence risk assessment, which becomes the foundation for the rest of the program. Contact us to schedule the initial conversation.
Every engagement begins with a workplace violence risk assessment. We identify your actual exposure before we build a single policy or training module.
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