Monthly Archives: June 2017

Protecting Yourself At Work: What To Do If There Is An Active Shooter

As an attorney who has been practicing before the New York State Workers’ Compensation Board representing injured workers for more than 27 years, I am drawn to organizations that assist workers. That’s why I am a member of the New York Committee for Occupational Safety & Health (NYCOSH), whose mission notes that every worker has the human right to a safe and healthy workplace and that workplaces injuries are often preventable. As a member, I receive many emails with various announcements regarding workplace safety, as well as statistics of injuries and deaths that occur on the job, many of which are preventable.

It is a sign of the times that on May 23, 2017, I received an email about educating workers on how to best respond in case of an active shooter. NYCOSH, along with the New York City Central Labor Council (NYCCLC), was sponsoring the event that was meant to educate participants on what actions to take to prevent and prepare for potential incidents, including what to do when an active shooter enters the workplace. Many of the cases that make front page news are mass shootings or those in the name of terrorism. Few of us can forget the Islamic extremist, who along with his wife fatally shot 14 of his co-workers at a Christmas party. Many of us go about our workday never anticipating a disgruntled employee, a client harboring a grudge, a terrorist, or a coworker intent on robbery, who may come to our workplaces with murder on their minds. When NYCOSH set out to sponsor their recent event trying to deal with a growing problem in this country, there was no way of knowing that workplace shootings would be in the national headlines three times in just two weeks. 

Last week we were shocked and appalled by the images of Republican Senators and their colleagues being shot at by a deranged person not happy with current politics. While many of our elected officials have heavy security when they are at work in the Capital’s office buildings, these members were on a ballfield early in the morning practicing for a charity baseball game taking place the next day. Despite the close proximity of the Capitol Police there to protect Steve Scalise, the current United States House of Representatives Majority Whip, five people were shot. Thankfully the sole fatality was the shooter himself.

In Orlando in early June, a disgruntled ex-employee systematically shot and killed five coworkers and then himself. A week later, a UPS employee in San Francisco walked into a UPS facility and killed three coworkers before killing himself.

According to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics, in 2015 there were 354 homicides by shooting at the workplace. There were 307 in 2014, 322 in 2013, 381 in 2012, and 365 in 2011. Based on these statistics, it is clear that this is not an issue going away anytime soon. These are scary times and we all need to prepare for this new normal. 

While I was not able to attend the NYCOSH event, I did go to the website for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, which offered these suggestions for responding when an active shooter is in your area.

  • Evacuate if you can.
  • Run as fast as you can and leave everything behind.
  • Just get out if possible.
  • If there is no accessible escape route, then hide somewhere and lock and blockade the door and silence any noise such as a radio or cell phone.
  • Lastly, if your life is in imminent danger, take action and try to incapacitate the shooter.
  • Throw things.
  • Use anything as a weapon.
  • Don’t go down without a fight.

It’s unfortunate that we even have to talk about protecting ourselves from active shooters. But in today’s day and age, we can never be too careful. As a mother, I worry for the safety of my children when they walk out the door as I’m sure many of you do as well. As a lawyer, I worry about the safety of workers every day on the job who are continually dealing with workplace injuries that could have been prevented.

 

Catherine M. Stanton is a senior partner in the law firm of Pasternack Tilker Ziegler Walsh Stanton & Romano, LLP. She focuses on the area of Workers’ Compensation, having helped thousands of injured workers navigate a highly complex system and obtain all the benefits to which they were entitled. Ms. Stanton has been honored as a New York Super Lawyer, is the past president of the New York Workers’ Compensation Bar Association, the immediate past president of the Workers’ Injury Law and Advocacy Group, and is an officer in several organizations dedicated to injured workers and their families. She can be reached at 800.692.3717.

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Remembering Our Heroes: Rescue and Recovery Workers To Be Honored At The 9/11 Memorial Site

Ray Pfeifer

Officials recently announced that a permanent dedication to 9/11 Rescue and Recovery workers is being planned and developed at the 9/11 Memorial in lower Manhattan. In a recent press release, 9/11 Memorial and Museum board members, including former NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Governor Andrew Cuomo, and Comedian Jon Stewart, announced that there will be an area dedicated to the thousands of men and women who went to Ground Zero initially for rescue and recovery and then removal of the tons of debris so that the site could eventually be rebuilt. Reuters News reported that in the aftermath of the attacks, more than 91,000 people have suffered illnesses and more than 400 have died. Included in this tragic statistic is Ray Pfeifer who passed away on May 28 after an eight-year battle with 9/11-related cancer that attacked his kidneys, legs, and brain.

Ray Pfeifer was not a professional athlete who helped his team win a World Series or Super Bowl. He was not a celebrity who won numerous awards for his acting ability. He didn’t make billions as an inventor of some high tech computer or communications firm. Yet, he was a giant. He was a hero. That term is thrown around so often that we sometimes forget what the word actually means. According to Miriam Webster, a hero is “a person admired for achievements and noble qualities and one who shows great courage.”

Ray Pfiefer served as a firefighter for the City of New York for 27 years. It was during his day off that he responded to the terrorist attack on the United States at the World Trade Center on 9/11/01. He, along with thousands of others, worked for months on the “pile,” searching for survivors. When it became obvious there was no one to find alive, he continued to search for the remains of those who never made it to safety. He was initially diagnosed with stage 4 cancer six years after his exposure to the toxins on the pile but continued to work as a firefighter until 2014 when he became wheelchair bound as a result of losing his leg to the cancer that would eventually kill him. As the daughter of a retired firefighter and the sister of two firefighters who also worked on the “pile,” his death hits close to home. 

Ray could have spent the last three years of his life after retiring solely on the fight of his life to beat the cancer that was destroying his body – but he did not. Instead, he became a tireless advocate of the James L. Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act, commonly known as the Zadroga Bill, which provides health care monitoring and treatment to first responders and was set to expire in 2015. He was a familiar sight in Washington on his electronic wheelchair as he lobbied Congress to pass the bill that would help first responders. He used his kindness and his humanity to shame those who opposed the bill and was instrumental in getting Congress to pass federal legislation that extended medical treatment for another 75 years for those sickened after 9/11. It was during these lobby days in Washington that he met and befriended comedian Jon Stewart who was one of those who spoke at Ray’s funeral mass. 

Ray Pfeifer has been lauded in life, and in death, by many politicians, including U.S. Senators Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio who awarded him the key to the City in 2016, and thousands of others who owe him a debt of gratitude that this nation can never repay. His passing is tragic, causing unimaginable pain to those who knew and loved him, but his legacy will remain. He was a true American hero. May he rest in peace.

 

Catherine M. Stanton is a senior partner in the law firm of Pasternack Tilker Ziegler Walsh Stanton & Romano, LLP. She focuses on the area of Workers’ Compensation, having helped thousands of injured workers navigate a highly complex system and obtain all the benefits to which they were entitled. Ms. Stanton has been honored as a New York Super Lawyer, is the past president of the New York Workers’ Compensation Bar Association, the immediate past president of the Workers’ Injury Law and Advocacy Group, and is an officer in several organizations dedicated to injured workers and their families. She can be reached at 800.692.3717. 

 

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