Workplace Safety
Risks & Remedies

Workplace Safety - risks & remedies for coworker attacks.

The generic headline screams: "Gentle soul kills multiple strangers!" As someone called upon to testify in court about human behavior, I am regularly surprised at the perpetuation of this urban myth - that a normal, gentle, non-threatening individual will suddenly "snap" and run amok. ... Research shows that people who commit violent acts generally display serious psychiatric maladjustment relatively early. Why then are aspects of this story repeated so often in news coverage? The initial informants are apt to be people with limited and superficial knowledge of the perpetrator. By the time the full story emerges, however, public interest will have waned and the media will have moved on. The initial notion of a "normal," "gentle" man suddenly and inexplicably turned sadistic murderer will have gained further hold in the public consciousness.
Excerpted from The Seattle Post-Intelligencer – 31 March 2006 by guest columnist Dr. Mark Zaslav.

Killers do not "just snap." An examination of 100 rampage murders found that most of the killers spiraled down a long slow slide. Most of them left a road map of red flags, spending months plotting their attacks and accumulating weapons, talking openly of their plans for bloodshed. ... In case after case, people who heard the threats and did not take action later said they did not act because it seemed unfathomable that a human being would carry through. Others said they'd heard the killer boast of violence so often that, like the villagers hardened to the boy who cried wolf, they just didn't take it seriously. ... Sometimes the triggering incident is reported to be a broken marriage, a spurned romance or financial misfortune. These are the kinds of events that often result in the observation, "He just snapped." ... But the incident that is often simplistically cited as the cause – a firing, a divorce, an eviction – is on closer examination just the final provocation to a troubled, angry person who has already left numerous warning markers, often available for many to see.
Excerpted from The New York Times – 09 April 2000

An argument about a CD player ended with four people dead and another injured inside an office in Huntsville AL
Excerpted from The New Jersey Star-Ledger – 26 February 2003

Many companies are trying to prevent Dilbert-like frustration from exploding into rampages. One of the best workplace safety preventive steps is for alert employees to carefully confront the situation and voice concerns to higher-ups. ... “Co-workers often figure it's not their problem. But ‘bystander empowerment’ can be crucial,” says Richard Denenberg, codirector of Workplace Solutions."
Excerpted from The Christian Science Monitor – 10 July 2003

In an average week in U.S. workplaces, one employee is killed and at least 25 are seriously injured in violent assaults by current or former co-workers. In nearly eight of 10 cases, killers left behind clear warning signs. But in the majority of cases, employers ignored, downplayed or misjudged the threat, according to a USA Today workplace safety analysis. ... Many employers believe it can't happen to them. Some employers say they've done all they can for workplace safety and can't imagine a disgruntled worker would turn deadly.
Excerpted from USA TODAY – 11 October 2004

In Risky Business: Managing Employee Violence in the Workplace, Dr. Lynne McClure describes workplace safety categories of everyday high-risk behaviors that occur long before threats or actual violence:
1. Actor behaviors: The employee acts out anger by yelling, slamming doors, and so on.
2. Fragmentor behaviors: The employee takes no responsibility for actions and sees no connection between those actions and their results – blaming others for his mistakes.
3. Me-First behaviors: The employee pleases herself, regardless of other's feelings.
4. Escape-Artist behaviors: The employee lies and/or indulges in addictive behaviors such as drugs or gambling.
5. Shocker behaviors: The employee suddenly acts in ways that are out of character and/or inherently extreme.
6. Stranger behaviors: The employee is remote, has poor social skills, fixates on an idea and/or an individual.

A problem employee may have no history of violence but that’s no guarantee he won’t become violent – even homicidal – especially if he threatens suicide. He becomes very dangerous if he feels he has nothing left to lose. Beware if he or she starts acting out of character, saying "Goodbye" to friends or otherwise speaking cryptically. You might be embarrassed to intervene by alerting management - or the person might resent you - but ignoring warning signs can be tragic.

Paul Michael Viollis, of Risk Control Strategies listed the Traits of Workplace Attackers:
• They are easily frustrated, chronic complainers, don’t offer solutions, are extremely manipulative and intelligent.
• They are socially withdrawn, the “consummate outsider” who didn’t fit in at school and was bullied.
• They have marital and/or family difficulties.
• They have a fascination with guns, but fewer than 10 percent served in the military.
• Fewer than 8 percent have a criminal record.
• They will boast about their plans for violence and make threats known in advance.
Excerpted from The Toledo Blade – 26 February 2005

"Report it," said Paul Viollis, of Risk Control Strategies. "It's easy to say, 'Oh that's just so-and-so having a bad day.' Don't. Workplace violence is entirely preventable." Viollis said the typical workplace offender tends be a good worker who is younger than 40, lacks social skills, tends to be the victim of teasing and doesn't take criticism well. ... It's crucial for all employers to train and retrain employees on warning signs and to have a process by which they can report incidents confidentially and without fear of retaliation. Managers and employees are not just encouraged but expected to report behavior. ... Once an employer is informed that an employee is exhibiting warning signs, the response must be tailored to the situation. The one thing not to do is ignore it. If it's an isolated report, the company may just want to watch the employee more closely. If more reports come in, it may need to take action. ... The first step often is getting the worker help through an employee-assistance program. These programs offer counseling and therapy to workers free of charge. The next step for workplace safety may be to give the employee some time off to resolve his or her issues. In the most drastic of cases, the employer may be forced to fire the employee and get a restraining order.
Excerpted from The Daily Record (NJ) – 12 March 2007

Some Rampage Shooters Were Provoked By Bullies

Almost every school shooter in cases studied over the last decade cited bullying as a motivating factor for the crime.
Excerpted from Newsday (Long Island NY) – 27 April 2007

Some bullies never grow up; they badger, tease, and taunt victims throughout elementary school, high school, college and then the workplace. Oh, they’ve grown more discrete, not using physical violence anymore, just intimidation and snide, belittling, mocking, hostile humor – day after day, week after week, year after year.

Bullies often don’t realize that they’re bullies. They delude themselves into thinking that they’re just being honest and frank by pointing out other people’s faults. Or they think that they’re being cleverly funny by harassing some hapless souls who may well already have enormous stress in their lives.

Sometimes, a bully pushes a victim too far and when he retaliates, he becomes a “deranged killer” and the bullies become “innocent” victims.

Coworkers who see bullying must overcome the “Oh, it can’t happen here” attitude and report the bullying to management.

Rampage shooters – whether in schools, shopping malls, or the workplace – all display the same early-warning-signs described above. Also see School Violence in Safeguarding Children and Shooting Rampage.

Background Checks for workplace safety
Find out if someone was ever in a U.S. federal prison (assuming he’s using his real name) by calling 202-307-3126; or a state prison for a sex crime at www.fbi.gov. Or see www.CriminalSearches.com website (no fee). It also shows a map with names of anyone arrested in a specific neighborhood, and sends you e-mail alerts when someone in your life is arrested or someone with a criminal record moves in nearby. ... However, the above sources are often incomplete, and there’s no way to distinguish between people with the same name if you don’t know their birthdays (and even that date is often missing). Nevertheless, you can always hire a private detective – a simple background check usually costs $50-100.

Learn all about Workplace Safety and other areas of worker's lives:
• Workplace Safety - Overview
• Workplace Risks & Remedies (YOU’RE NOW ON THIS PAGE): seeing warning signs before violence erupts.
• 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.
• Real-Estate Agent Safety: protecting lone prey.
• Losing It - Petty Murders: 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.

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Workplace Safety - Overview
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