How To Survive Any SHTF Scenario When Stuck At Work
GENERAL PREP, Survival Skills
By
Bob Rodgers
June 26, 2020
Most Americans spend more than ten hours per day at their workplace.
We spend a lot of time to improve our skills and become more productive, but we take no protection measures when it comes to our job.
What would you do if the proverbial brown stuff hits the fan, and you are stuck at work?
Since your place of work plays an important role in your survival regardless if you plan to bug out or bug in, it makes sense to have a backup plan.
Every day, there are real threats that we could face, and we should be realistic about our preparedness plan. I’m not talking here about an apocalyptic scenario like the ones the media is portraying. There are short term natural disasters and even social disobedience that can cause a lot of trouble for the working man or woman if they are not prepared.
Did you ever stop and think about your workplace survival?
Have you any idea what threats you might have to face at your workplace?
Most people know quite a lot about their coworkers, their habits, hobbies, and whatnot. However, Bill annoying you constantly with his fishing trips isn’t a life-threatening situation. Sure, he may bore you to death or kill you with his halitosis, but rather than figuring out ways to avoid him, you should invest some time into analyzing, mitigating, and prepare for real threats that you may one day face.
It is not easy for most people to figure out what could go wrong at their job, and few have the ability to analyze their work environment with a methodical mind, especially if that place is very familiar and if they worked there their entire life.
To come to the aid of those spending a lot of time at work, there are two distinctions they need to make when it comes to threats in their workplace. Consider the following when assessing your work environment.
Natural threats
Here we can include events such as floods, earthquakes, storm blizzard, and wildfires. These usually follow the same pattern, and preparations are usually common for all of the above. Look at the real and most common natural threats and do a threat analysis to figure out when they last happened and gather all the data that show occurring patterns.
As a quick example, if you live and work in a forested area, the probability of a wildfire occurring is much higher than let’s say, a tsunami. If you work in a luxurious resort in Hawaii, a blizzard should be a minimal risk, but an erupting volcano can, and should be, on top of your list when making a threat assessment.
Each and every natural disaster you can think of is specific and relevant to a certain area, and you should have a realistic preparedness plan for the threats that are most common in your area. Even more, your workplace should have specific protocols implemented in case a natural disaster occurs.
If you are new there, speak with someone that has worked and lived in that area for a long time, and they should be able to provide precise information about the safety of your workspace. They know the history, and by hearing the stories and learning from the lessons of your predecessors, you can be better prepared.
Manmade threats
This is the most complex category, and it can affect your security and physical integrity at your workplace in various ways. Even more, the “randomness factor” plays an important role here. To keep things short, you should be aware of the two main categories of risk: internal and external ones.
For internal risks, here we can include all types of scenarios that include an active killer or an unhappy employee that can cause havoc. Anything from arson, to deliberate power outages and even coworkers shooting up the place, should be considered. Even something like this is unlikely to happen; you never know when Bill might lose his cool about people making fun of his “halitosis” situation and might start hurting people or even worse.
Additionally, when it comes to internal threats, not only Bill and your other coworkers could become a problem, but also people related to them. Let’s say Jane has a jealous spouse, and her partner decides to come down to the office to settle some personal scores or remove people that he considers being a threat to his marriage. This will create ramifications for everyone in the workspace, and it can lead to tragedies if firearms are involved.
For external risks, here we have the human factor outside the employ of your workspace. Even an angry customer can turn into a real threat if given the opportunity or the “right motivation.” Let’s say you work for a government or private organization that handles large sums of money or has the ability to affect (negatively) the lives of strangers in major ways. In such cases, you could be looking at high-risk scenarios.
The problem with the human factor is its high unpredictability, and nowadays, people can easily “snap” after being pushed or bullied. However, a good outcome is that some of them have the tendency of advertising or broadcasting their intentions through direct (telling friends or family) or indirect interaction (posting on social media). This is mainly a call for help, and at the same time, it’s a clue that if spotted in time, well allow you to call for aid and dodge the bullet.
https://www.survivopedia.com/how-to-survive-any-shtf-scenario-when-stuck-at-work/