Fall 2017

6  • PENNSYLVANIA RESTAURANT & LODGING matters • Fall 2017 CHAIRMAN’S MESSAGE Steve Musciano HERE WE ARE AGAIN. “City, restaurant industry mourn” reads the headline in the August 26, 2017, The Post and Courier, in Charleston, South Carolina. A disgruntled former employee walked into his former place of work and killed a former co-worker and held at least one hostage for several hours before he was shot by police. There has been at least one incident of workplace violence, perpetrated by either an employee or customer, per month this year. Bowie, Maryland; Olathe, Kansas; Tucson, Arizona; Des Moines, Iowa; the list goes on and demonstrates that no geographic area of the country is immune to this epidemic. According to Bureau of Labor Statistics data, the leisure and hospitality sector is the third-leading sector for fatal shootings, behind retail trade and government. Foodservice and hospitality operations are frequent targets based on their nature: large groups of people, unlocked doors, limited or non-existent on-premise security personnel. Foodservice Training Portal surveyed 200 independent restaurants from October 2016 through January 2017 in six states. The results: 92 percent of independent restaurants are not using any active shooter training. The common reasons for not training staff: cost, time, and the belief that their business would not be affected by an active shooter incident. How do those excuses hold up should the unthinkable happen on your watch? You are legally required to protect your employees and guests. Last year, the National Restaurant Association published five tips for preventing workplace violence: 1. Adopt a zero-tolerance policy on employee-involved workplace violence. Make it known that violent behavior or threat of violence won’t be tolerated, even if it’s a joke. 2. Train your staff to recognize the clues and warning signs. 3. Conduct background checks but be aware of any legal constraints regarding the questions you can ask. 4. Do a safety audit of your business layout. 5. Create a threat/incident management team. If this seems overwhelming, PRLA recently partnered with Lehigh Valley Paladin to offer security consulting and advisory services to members. The experts at Lehigh Valley Paladin will provide members in good standing with one hour of free consultation per issue. Visit www.prla.org/securityservcies to learn more or request a consultation. Your best plan is to be prepared. Warm regards, Stephen Musciano Chairman of the Board Aramark “According to Bureau of Labor Statistics data, the leisure and hospitality sector is the third-leading sector for fatal shootings, behind retail trade and government.”