In November 1999, a Xerox technician in Honolulu killed seven coworkers; in February 2001, a 66-year old former forklift driver at the Navistar Plant in Chicago killed four; in July 2003, a worker at a manufacturing plant in Jefferson City, Mo., killed three; in July 2003, a plant worker at a Lockheed-Martin aircraft plant in Meridian, Miss., killed six. And the list goes on.
Workplace violence is rising at an alarming rate in America - homicide is the second leading cause of death in the workplace. More than 1,000 workplace homicides occur each year, which breaks down to roughly 21 each week. Close to 2 million assaults occur annually at work, and more than 876,000 workdays are lost each year due to workplace violence. Nationwide, jury awards for inadequate security at the workplace average about $1.2 million per year, and individual settlements average about $600,000, according to Laurence Barton in Crisis in Organizations II.
Fights and yelling have become more common as a booming economy stresses American workers - 23 percent of workers admit to being driven to tears at work with 10 percent reporting that they work in an atmosphere where physical violence has occurred, according to Sean Hutchinson's Is America Suffering from Desk Rage?' Twenty nine percent of workers admit having yelled at co-workers themselves.
Workplace violence can strike anywhere, any place of employment, and no one is immune. It can occur at or outside the workplace. It can range from threats and verbal abuse to physical assaults and homicides.
Though not typically considered a disaster or national threat, violence in the workplace affects society as a whole - it's a growing problem reaching epidemic proportions. If the smaller incidents aren't dealt with as precursors to larger acts of violence, our nation must be prepared to deal with the ever-increasing number of homicides.
Maintaining Safety
Employees have the right to expect a work environment that promotes safety from violence, threats and harassment. However difficult it becomes to protect employees, it is an employer's legal and ethical obligation to provide a safe environment for workers.
While there currently are no specific standards for employers with regard to workplace violence, there are Federal regulations and standard interpretations related to workplace violence. The Occupational Safety and Health Act requires employers to "furnish to each of his employees employment and a place of employment which are free from recognized hazards that are causing or are likely to cause death or serious physical harm to his employees." It also requires employers to "comply with occupational safety and health standards promulgated under this act."
In addition, workplaces prone to disruptive incidents are often characterized by high levels of unresolved conflict and poor communication, according to the University of California, Davis, Division of Human Resources-Employee and Labor Relations.
Conflict at work is normal, according to UC Davis, but must be addressed promptly and effectively - not avoided or suppressed.
"Disruptive behavior can be reduced or prevented by facilitating a workplace environment that promotes healthy, positive means of airing and resolving problems (methods that do not disrupt the workplace or harm or frighten others)," the UC Davis division stated. "It is also essential to improve the conflict management skills of managers and staff, to set and enforce clear standards of conduct, and to provide help (e.g. mediation and counseling) to address conflicts early."
And the best deterrent to workplace violence, according to Barton's Crisis in Organizations II, is to be on guard when something sounds or feels wrong, and to act swiftly if you feel the case warrants external intervention.
Violence Prevention
Opinions differ on how to address workplace violence. According to an America Society of Industrial Security survey, the top strategy,
according to 25 percent of respondents, to preventing workplace violence is employee training. Fifteen percent of respondents said zero tolerance was the best strategy, and 13 percent said controlling and restricting access to buildings was the best prevention strategy.
The United States Department of Labor-Occupational Safety and Health Administration's opinion ranks the same methods in a different order of effectiveness: The best protection employers can offer is to establish a zero-tolerance policy toward workplace violence against or by their employees, and enforce the policy in an equitable manner.
Employers should establish a workplace violence prevention program and incorporate it into an employee handbook or manual of standard operating procedures. It is critical to ensure that all employees know the policy and understand that all claims of workplace violence will be investigated and resolved promptly, according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
Employers should also provide education and training so they know what conduct is not acceptable and what to do if they witness or are subject to workplace violence. Employers need to provide a secure workplace. Where appropriate, video surveillance, extra lighting and alarm systems are effective ways to mitigate workplace violence, as is minimizing access by outsiders through the use of identification badges, electronic keys and security guards.
Going Postal
Workplace violence gained national attention in the late 1980s. On August 20, 1986, a part time letter carrier named Patrick H. Sherrill, facing possible dismissal after a troubled work history, walked into the Edmond, Oklahoma post office where he worked and shot 14 people to death before killing himself.
Though the most deadly, the Edmond tragedy was not the first episode of its kind. In just the previous three years, present or former postal workers in separate shootings killed four coworkers. The shock of the Edmond killings raised public awareness to the kind of incident that is now most commonly associated with the phrase "workplace violence," according to Workplace Violence-Issues in Response.
"When Mark O. Barton shot and killed nine people at an Atlantic office building this summer after he lost thousands of dollars on the stock market, he wasn't merely killing innocent people because he lost money in the stock market, he was shooting at a fast-paced society, at a culture that puts profits above people, at a world where more and more people find it harder and harder to adjust to tight schedules, two incomes, no time for myself environments," said Craig Michie, a workplace violence consultant, at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, in July 1999.
"He had mental illness, to be sure, but he also typifies what we're seeing more and more of-complexity in people, complexity in organizations," Michie continued. "And who's watching all of this? Who's analyzing all of this? Why are we seeing more and more of it?"
