Among many facilities where people gather, the workplace has been a common target of terrorism. Significant negative impact on a nation’s economy, infrastructure, and health can be accomplished through workplace disruption and many workplaces are still relatively unprotected. These factors suggest that the workplace will continue to be an ideal target for international terrorists.
After observing the wide-scale destruction of events such as the September 11 terrorist attacks, Jani-King launched its Workplace Awareness Program. Designed to train franchisees and their workers to look for signs of potential terrorism in the buildings they service and report those findings to the proper person, the workplace awareness program has been a mainstay of Jani-King’s training program.
When first launched in 2004, Jani-King’s Workplace Awareness Program grabbed local and national news headlines, and received letters of applause from local and state government leaders. Now, with a new look and updated materials, Jani-King’s Workplace Awareness Program continues to stand out as an innovative and important strategy in helping Jani-King franchisees, customers and the general public by potentially identifying threats.
“It’s of the utmost importance that we not lose sight of why we created this program and the positive impact we can make,” said Jerry Crawford, CEO and President of Jani-King International. “Our franchisees and their employees have a unique opportunity to be an extra set of eyes and ears in the facilities that we clean. It’s our mission to train and educate Jani-King representatives to look for potential signs of terrorism and then report those findings immediately. We are not a security force, but we are certainly positioned to help identify and report.”
Jani-King’s training program offers tips and guidance to franchisees and their employees for identifying signs of potential terrorism such as a backpack in a common area trashcan or a delivery vehicle parked in front of the building during non-business hours and then reporting to the proper contact person. Having the training to identify certain items and scenarios is the cornerstone of the training.
Here are a few tips that will help keep your facility safe:
- Don’t prop open or compromise building entrance doors/windows. Rectify these
situations when you observe them. - Account for and secure keys, don’t leave them unattended or give to unauthorized
persons. Report lost keys to building manager. - Secure all areas when not attended.
- Protect access codes, combinations and cards, change codes regularly. Report
compromised codes to the person in charge of area. - Report suspicious tampering with physical security (doors, locks etc…)
- Ensure staff who work after-hours have proper after-hours permits
