Starkweather & Shepley Insurance Brokerage Inc. (S&S) hosted an informative panel discussion on Workplace Violence awareness preparation to Worcester’s local businesscommunity on Tuesday, May 7th at the AC Hotel Marriott. The National Safety Council reported that in 2016, 17% of workplace deaths were the result of violence. According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), about 2 million people each year report some type of workplace violence. It is estimated that 25% of workplace violence goes unreported. The goal of this seminar was to educate and provide guidance so that organizations are better prepared in the face of such a tragic event.

On the panel was Harry Lemieux, Chief Information Officer and Vice President at HarringtonHospital; Jonathan Sigel, Partner at Mirick O’Connell Attorneys at Law; Florence DuPerry, VP of Human Resources at S&S; and James Croteau, Manager of the Sturbridge, MA Operations at S&S.

The panelists discussed essential topics such as the different types of workplace violence, the planning and preparation needed, the legal responsibilities of the organization, and what to do after an attack.

Cornerstone Bank, the premier event sponsor, made a generous donation to the S&S Charitable Fund to provide a Workplace Violence training grant to a local organization.

While tragic, there are real-life health, financial, insurance, and legal implications that come with workplace violence emergencies. As these unfortunate events continue to affect organizations, preparedness has never been more critical.

“Employers are dealing with complicated and dangerous issues today,” said Andrew Fotopulos,President of S&S Insurance Corp. of MA. “Recent headline news concerning workplace violence andactive shooters have caused employers to seek out more information to help better prepare if something were to happen to them. Being proactive versus reactive can save lives and prevent the domino effect ofsuch a tragedy.”

S&S will continue to host similar seminars throughout the year. For more details on future seminars, please visit www.starshep.com. For further information regarding the May 7th seminar, please contact Stefan Petrella directly by phone 401-351-3600 or Email