Recently a blood drive had to be cancelled after staff had arrived at the site -

technical problems, the detail too much to include here.

The drive sponsor and the scheduled donors were upset, and the end result was less than optimal to say the least. The 'discussions' that occurred between staff and the sponsor group left the staff feeling intimidated and harassed.

To address staff safety concerns, we plan to conduct staff training in dealing with diffcult situations/behaviors and de-escalating violence in the workplace, which includes calling 911 when staff are working offsite and a situation arises.

Do any of you who conduct blood drives at 'remote' location offer any other training or resources to staff who may run into difficult or threatening situations during the drive?

I recommend that you establish a drive coordinator for each drive. This person is the primary person to contact at the drive site. It doesn't have to be the sponsor, but it does have to be a representative of the sponsor with the authority to speak for the sponsor. All communications would go through that person. No one speaks to anyone else regarding arrangements or changes in plans. This system works quite well for us. Whenever someone purporting to be "in charge" or purporting to be someone in authority approaches one of our mobile crew, we simply tell them we deal with our drive coordinator only, and that is the person they need to talk to. When you have such lines of authority established, you can head off most problems before they escalate.

BC

We also have the drive coordinator system........which works quite well.

MANY customer service classes, and finally they have been told if the feel genuinely threatened to call 911. (Has never happened in the history of our company)

I would feel most safe by all donor staff being required to open-carry a weapon in a thigh holster and have an SOP for its use; adding a military theme and camo uniforms would be a plus. The drive coordinator could have an M-4 or a tactical shotgun. Donors intimidated by the sight of such a well-armed group may fill the bag faster with their increased B/P, leading to shorter draw times, and would leave quicker without eating alot of cookies -- however, the vets may stick around to talk and eat more cookies. And we could use the short-draw bags as targets after the drive home. (At least you'd collect alot of units that way at an NRA or GOA convention ...)

Serioiusly, most companies have requested your presence and work hard to make the drive a success. They typically have their own security arrangements, and there's always "911" if all else fails. I like the Drive Coordinator system for immediate de-escalation of minor situations, and having an action plan for non-medical emergencies would be a good idea.

Back when I coordinated mobiles, I have them an info packet that included fire alarms and exits, emergency numbers, where the bathrooms are located, and the like.