With robberies and other workplace violence constantly in the news, you may be wondering how to protect yourself at work. Whether you are an employer or an employee, workplace safety is very important. While you should be able to trust security guards and policemen to come to your aid, you should also be prepared to handle such situations as they occur.
While you should re-consider your decision to work in a very dangerous workplace, the truth is that nearly any industry could leave you open for such an attack, particularly if you deal with the public regularly. There are no industries that are immune to such attacks, either from outsiders or from disgruntled employees.
Workplace self defense is a tricky subject because employers may become liable if an employee is hurt on the job, and therefore many employers would prefer it if the employee did not try to apprehend the attacker or robber. However, in some cases this may be necessary for self defense.
When working in an industry that is frequently targeted, such as gas stations or banks, panic buttons are often available to set off an alarm, either audible or silent, in case of such an attack. As many employees have been told, simply press the alarm button and hand over the money or anything else the robber is after. However, if the assailant has any sort of weapon, or is not easily deterred, an alarm may not be enough.
Employers should provide their employees with a safe work environment, and indeed, some provide pepper spray, automatic locking doors, or other devices to deter attacks. Most companies have taken at least some steps to ensure that their employees remain safe. Some even provide self-defense seminars to teach you how they would like you to handle such incidents.
However, if you work in an environment where you are afraid of such an attack, there are a few things that you can do on your own to help give you peace of mind. Taking a proactive role in your own safety is a must, particularly if your job takes you into deserted areas or occurs during the night or early morning hours. Enrolling in a self defense class can teach you strategies to make you more confident. Besides learning your own self defense tactics, consider carrying a small canister of pepper spray in your pocket. They can even be found in keychain size, easily concealed.
Though many companies do not want their employees carrying around knives or guns, and in fact it may be against company policy, a small pepper spray canister makes a wise investment to protect you while you are at work. They cause no lasting harm, and can be perfectly concealed until they are needed. Having such a device in your pocket gives you the confidence to go about your day, knowing that you can handle any situation that arises. At the same time, be careful not to become over-confident; you should always let the professionals handle such situations, if possible.
Many employers fail to provide training or methods for self defense, believing that “it won’t happen here.” This simply isn’t the case; it is crucial to prepare for such incidents. Preparing yourself for self defense at work by learning strategies and carrying pepper spray is a wise decision if you want to be safe at work.
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The Military Institutes Hand to Hand Combat Training
by: Jake Ross
Although formalized instructions in hand to hand combat became a paramount concern to military experts around the world during the Second World War, a person interested in the development of hand to hand combat techniques and training in the 20th century actually needs to step back in time to World War I. Indeed, it was during World War I — the infamous Great War — that trench warfare and hand to hand combat became viciously intense and forever changed the face of modern military combat.
During World War I there were more than 40,000 kilometers — more than 24,000 miles — of trenches along the Western front alone. It was within and around these trenches that some of the most brutal and horrific hand to hand combat in all of history occurred. In the aftermath of the conflict, the leaders of many of the countries involved in the Great War concluded that their own forces simply were not well prepared when it came to hand to hand combat. As a result, many countries moved to implement very specific hand to hand combat training regimens within their basic military training programs.
As World War II emerged on the horizon, countries including the United States and United Kingdom focused a great deal of time and energy in military training on hand to hand combat techniques. In point of fact, at some point during this period in the United States, the motto that was emblazoned on a Marine training facility was:
“Let’s be damned sure that no boy’s ghost will ever say, ‘If your training program had only done its job.’”
Doing the job — getting the job done effectively — included intensive hand to hand combat training. Training in the ways and means of hand to hand combat became crucial. Ultimate military success and defeat of the enemy might well depend on how well soldiers were trained in hand to hand combat during the Second World War.
Interestingly, in the United States (and in other Allied nations), when it came to training servicemen for hand to hand combat, a great deal of time was spent implementing what were essentially martial arts techniques and practices as well as submission fighting skills. These hand to hand combat techniques largely were of Oriental origin; many of these techniques were created or refined in Imperial Japan, the nation that ultimately pulled the pin that brought the United States fully onto the World War II battlefields in both Europe and the Pacific.
Since hand to hand combat instruction became an institutionalized part of the basic training regimen, learning hand to hand combat principles and techniques has remained an elementary part of basic training regimens the world over. Indeed, even in the early 21st century, hand to hand combat training programs are well ingrained and major components of basic training regimens across the globe.
About The Author
Jake Ross is an internationally recognized authority on hand-to-hand combat, martial arts and self defense. Jake has researched a multitude of martial arts from around the world and throughout history, but he prefers the realistic combat systems from the late 19th to early 21st centuries. For more information on fighting techniques, visit http://www.combatclassics.com/
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