Workplace Safety
Losing It

Workplace Safety - when someone is losing it in a rampage at work, home, or anywhere.

A Chicago man killed his brother during an argument over whether a star or an angel went on top of the Christmas tree. The same warning signs described in Workplace Risks & Remedies also apply to workers off the job. Rarely does a day go by without people killing each other over a neighbor’s dog poop on their lawn, tree branches growing over a fence, loud music, cutting ahead in line, real or imagined insults, or Road Rage.

A 51-year-old woman was beaten and kicked when a customer behind her in a supermarket checkout line became enraged that she had brought 13 items through a 12-items-or-fewer lane. ... Nowadays snippy remarks often lead to rage, if not a physical altercation, said Jack Levin, director of the Brudnick Center on Violence and Conflict at Northeastern University. "We've given a label to the frustrated motorists who lose their cool. The truth is people can become enraged anywhere. People can get upset with what seems like the most trivial moment," Levin said.
Excerpted from The Lowell Sun (MA) – 14 February 2002

A McDonald's customer who flew into a violent rage when she was denied mayonnaise on her cheeseburger, ran her car over the restaurant's manager.
Excerpted from The Houston Chronicle – 04 December 2003

William Serrano stabbed his roommate to death because the man complained about his "stinky feet."
Excerpted from The Houston Chronicle – 08 October 2007

Two women were in a crowded line at a McDonald's. A cashier opened a new line and they stepped to the front of it - which angered an unidentified woman who started yelling at them and threatened to kill them. ... The woman left the restaurant before the women and sat in her car. As the women left the woman sped toward them, striking them both. Excerpted from The Athens Banner-Herald (GA) – 15 August 2006

Dennis Rock is accused of hitting Gary Kretzer during an argument over parking spaces in front of their homes. Kretzer hit his head on pavement and suffered a stroke that has left him paralyzed, blind in one eye, and unable to speak.
Excerpted from a WCPO-TV9 Cincinnati report – 09 July 2000

You’re playing with fire if you have a confrontational personality and insist on self-righteously imposing your sense of morality on others, especially on the blatant offenders. Don’t waste your breath and risk your hide trying to enlighten the proudly belligerent. Too primitive to understand, they might be as dangerous as they are rude.

A British man convicted of a "web-rage" attack was jailed for 2-1/2 years for assaulting a man he had exchanged insults with over the Internet. Paul Gibbons had attacked John Jones after months of exchanging abuse with him via an Internet chatroom. ... After several more verbal and written exchanges - with Jones threatening to track him down and give him a severe beating - Gibbons and a friend went to his victim's house armed with a pickaxe and machete. ... Other charges of attempted murder and issuing online threats to kill four other chatroom users were not pursued. "This case highlights the dangers of Internet chat rooms, particularly with regards to giving personal details that will allow other users to discover home addresses," said police.
Excerpted from Reuters – 17 November 2006

Debating politics, religion, morals, or sports often leads to arguments, even violence. Try to change the subject as soon as opinions clash. Though it’s tempting to try to convert others to your infinite wisdom, trying to change someone’s lifelong beliefs is futile. Spare yourself the bother and the risk.

NEIGHBORS FROM HELL
Dorothy's new neighbors’ teenage kids began throwing rocks at her toddlers. After a police warning, the teenager's father began raging at Dorothy while stalking their fence line with a pistol in his hand. Other neighbors were afraid to testify in Dorothy's behalf. Soon her shrubbery and car were vandalized. She sold her house and moved away.

CRIMES OF PASSION
Ordinary people with no history of crime might commit crimes of passion. They often share deep emotional bonds with their victims that led to betrayals or passionate disputes – such as unfaithful spouses or lovers, or people disagreeing about financial or prideful issues. Each of us is potentially a passionate murderer - or a victim of one.

Young males often were immature and sometimes got into violent situations while trying to impress their mates or a girl. Often they reacted to something said when they could learn to avoid risky situations. ... Professor Ross Homel, a Griffith University criminologist, said young men sometimes provoked a violent response by their own behavior – such as a taunt or giving a silly answer. He believes there is a role for schools to teach social and survival skills to boys, including how to react in "tricky situations" and how to defuse situations, rather than making them worse. Excerpted from The Sunday Mail (Queensland, Australia) – 30 May 2004

Swaggering, macho belligerence, territorial attitudes (even refusing to yield space while passing on the sidewalk), hostile glares, “locking gaze” stare-downs and strutting, cocky, provocative behavior challenges other primitive macho types. “What you lookin’ at, punk?” Throughout history, this ridiculous, baboon-like posturing has caused wanna-be alpha-males to maim and kill each other. Graveyards and prisons are full of tough guys.

Being neither provocative nor timid, simply carry yourself with quiet confidence, remain alert, ignore challenges, and walk away (or run) from confrontations. Fighting for “honor” definitely crosses the fine line between bravery and stupidity. Fighting is courageous only when absolutely necessary in self-defense.

Learn all about Workplace Safety and other areas of worker's lives:
• Workplace Safety - Overview
• Workplace Risks & Remedies: seeing warning signs before violence shatters workplace safety.
• Resolving Conflicts: handling verbal threats, defusing tension, intervening in a volatile situation, and building a workplace safety net before you need it.
• Bank & Store Robberies: minimizing the dangers to workplace safety.
• Real-Estate Agent Safety: protecting lone prey.
• Losing It - Petty Murders (YOU’RE NOW ON THIS PAGE): cautionary tales of flirting with disaster for home, outdoor, and workplace safety.
• Recap & Resources for heading off trouble at work, outdoors, and home.
• Pepper Spray & Devices also provide safety at work.

Return to
Workplace Safety - Overview
Crime-Safety-Security Home Page