Workplace violence and outsider threats remain a growing concern for organizations across every industry. Security teams are expected to identify potential threats, assess risk, and protect employees before an incident occurs. Yet recognizing warning signs early and knowing when to escalate can be difficult, especially as threat signals now emerge across many channels at once, from social media posts and direct messages to in-person behavior and open-source chatter.
As organizations face increasing pressure to safeguard their people, security leaders need repeatable processes and effective tools to support threat detection, assessment, and response. From spotting concerning behavior to monitoring potential risks in real time, proactive security programs play a critical role in preventing incidents before they escalate.
In this edition of the Liferaft Security Spotlight Session series, Chelsea Rose sits down with Kyle Baker to discuss workplace violence, outsider threats, and how security teams can better identify, assess, and escalate potential threats to protect employees.
Workplace Violence and Protecting Employees from Outsider Threats
What you'll learn
What is workplace violence?
Workplace violence is any act or threat of physical violence, harassment, intimidation, or other threatening, disruptive behavior that occurs at or is connected to a place of work. It exists on a spectrum that ranges from verbal abuse and threats to physical assault and, in the most severe cases, homicide. Federal agencies commonly group these incidents into four types, distinguished by the relationship between the aggressor and the organization.
What are outsider threats?
Outsider threats, often categorized as Type 1 (criminal intent) workplace violence, involve individuals who have no legitimate relationship with the business or its employees. These threats account for a large share of workplace homicides, which is why monitoring for early indicators from people outside the organization is a core function of modern corporate security programs.
Why workplace violence prevention matters
The scale of the problem makes proactive prevention essential. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were 458 workplace homicides in 2023, and firearms are involved in roughly 80% of these fatal incidents. Regulatory expectations are rising in parallel: OSHA's General Duty Clause requires employers to address recognized hazards, and state-level mandates such as California's SB 553 (effective July 2024) now compel many employers to maintain formal workplace violence prevention plans. Detecting and acting on threat signals early is no longer optional, it is both a life-safety priority and a compliance obligation.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between an insider and an outsider threat?
An insider threat originates from someone with a legitimate connection to the organization, such as an employee, contractor, or vendor. An outsider threat comes from an individual with no such relationship and is the most common source of fatal workplace violence.
How can security teams detect workplace violence threats early?
Early detection relies on monitoring concerning behaviors and open-source signals, including social media and public communications, in real time, then applying a consistent process to assess and escalate credible risks before they escalate into an incident.
Are employers required to have a workplace violence prevention program?
There is no single federal OSHA standard dedicated to workplace violence, but the General Duty Clause requires employers to address recognized hazards, and a growing number of states, led by California's SB 553, now require formal prevention plans.
At Liferaft, we turn open-source signals into credible, actionable intelligence so teams can move quickly from awareness to confident action.
