EDMONTON, Alberta—Alberta's Workers' Compensation Board is ready to significantly upgrade its building security with the goal of avoiding a repeat of staff members being held hostage last October by a claimant.

Patrick Clayton, an injured out-of-work carpenter, is accused of unlawful restraint and weapons violations for allegedly entering the WCB's Edmonton office with a rifle, shooting a round into a wall and holding nine people hostage. According to reports, he felt the WCB unfairly cut off his benefits.

Though the situation ended peacefully with no injuries to any of the 700 employees in the building, it sent a signal to the WCB that better security is needed to prevent a similar situation from occurring again.

“It was quite a shock when the incident happened,” said a spokeswoman for the WCB. “We had to key (in) on what we were doing then vs. what we want to do now in terms of security. We brought in consultants to view the current security of the building and received recommendations from both them and staff on how it could be improved.”

In June, the WCB sought bids for security upgrades and interior renovation to its Jarvis office building, Millard health building and its Central building, the site of the hostage incident. The WCB aims to enhance building security and employee and client safety without turning the buildings into “fortresses.”

Workplace security experts say improving building security is only one way to minimize the threat of workplace violence. They say a policy and staff training on handling such situations also are needed.

The WCB's plan calls for several improvements that include a security lockdown system in the main entrances of Jarvis and Millard, card readers on all doors, enhanced security cameras in all locations, new staff entrances with turnstiles at the Central and Jarvis buildings, reconfiguring floors in the Jarvis and Central buildings, and ballistic protection for main security desks and counter areas and specific walls.

The WCB hopes the project will be completed by Dec. 31, if not sooner.

“The goal is to make sure any enhancements we do are balanced and provide security as well as a welcoming environment in the building,” the WCB spokeswoman said. “We want to have a friendly customer service feel, but we also want it to be safe. We have to find that balance to avoid becoming a fortress.”

Workplace violence is a real threat, according to a 2005 survey by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and the National Institute for Occupational Safety & Health. It found that about 5% of the 7.1 million private-industry U.S. businesses had an incident of workplace violence in the previous 12 months.

The survey also found that although one-third of those businesses reported the incident had a negative workforce impact, a majority did not change their workplace violence prevention procedures. Further, the survey found that 70% of all U.S. businesses at that time did not have a formal program or policy that addressed workplace violence.

“You need to have a multilayered approach to workplace safety,” said Paul French, chief operating officer of Huntington Beach, Calif.-based security consultant Threat Management & Protection Inc. “You can't just put locks on doors and think that you're going to be safer. You have to have a policy and procedure in place as well.”

While adding additional escape routes, bulletproof windows and walls, and security cameras are helpful improvements, Mr. French said those precautions cannot replace the human component of a good workplace security policy and plan. He added that a security guard at the door with a gun—which is typical in many government offices—is intimidating, but the guard is only as good as his or her training.

“It's difficult to have a guy sit and watch security TVs for 12 hours and expect him to pick out the bad guy,” Mr. French said. “Especially if he has no training and is not being paid well.”

Teaching employees how to handle difficult clients or fellow staff members also is important, said Richard Denenberg, co-director of Red Hook, N.Y.-based nonprofit Workplace Solutions Inc. and co-author of the book “The Violence-Prone Workplace: A New Approach to Dealing with Hostile, Threatening and Uncivil Behavior.”

Mr. Denenberg agrees that worker training is just as important as building security.

“Companies often create programs or policies that are related to the hardware rather than the staff,” Mr. Denenberg said. “Staff are seen as the soft side of a security system, which can do right where the hardening of the building went wrong.”

Mr. French said teaching employees how to defuse a situation, or identify when someone “doesn't seem right,” can be just as valuable as security cameras or guards.

“If you have someone who can empathize with someone, it's likely you will be able to control their behavior,” Mr. French said. “Having a security camera is great, but it doesn't have any of the human skills it takes to identify when someone is going to create a possibly violent situation.”