Is your safety guaranteed at the workplace in face of a terror attack?

Images of Dusit hotel terrorist attack victims are seen at the alter of the Assumption Cathedral, Bangkok, Thailand during a memorial service for victims of the Kenya attack on 23rd January, 2019.

Many modern day work spaces have safety and evacuation plans. However, more often than not, they focus on common everyday hazards like fire. In an evolving world though, new threats emerge every day, one of the most recent being terror attacks at the workplace.

On January 15, Al Shabaab terrorists attacked 14 Riverside complex in Nairobi that hosts office blocks and a hotel. It was not the first terror attack at a workplace in Nairobi. The August 1998 bombing that targeted the US bombing was another classic example of this that set a precedence on the need for employees and employers to stay alert and know the dos and don’ts in case of an attack. If there was a terrorist attack at your office – what would you do and who within your organisation is responsible for developing the appropriate prevention and evacuation plans? More often it is the responsibility of a security manager.