If escape is not an option, then employees should be trained to hide in a secure area. Ideally locking a door, turning off the lights, and disabling the ringers on their cellphones.

Fighting should be resorted to only as a last resort and if one's own life is in danger. The FBI recommends improvising weapons out of everyday items like chairs or fire extinguishers.


Recovery

Health care facilities need a crisis communications plan that includes staff, patients, visitors, law enforcement agencies, and the media. Michelle Earle Foster, the president of Omnisure said, "After an incident, it's critical to have a plan for those affected. Not just immediate emergency medical care but ongoing support and counseling as well."

Without doing everything in their power to implement a security plan, provide employee training, and take appropriate actions to prevent, protect, and response to a shooter, health care facilities could find themselves legally liable for negligence.

No one ever thinks these kinds of tragedies will happen to them, and it's easy to become complacent, advised the experts.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI), the labor industry experienced 475 homicides in the work place in 2012 and 381 occurred from being shot intentionally by another person. Homicide is also the leading cause of death for women in the workplace.


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