TABLE OF CONTENTS Acts of extreme violence in the workplace are often preceded by some sign of extreme emotional pain, stress, mental disturbance, or some previous incident of violent behavior. Your awareness of these warning signs and action to report them if observed will help protect the safety of you and your coworkers. The following is a checklist for some actions that warrant reporting:
Threats to harm others or endanger their safety
Threats to destroy property
Physical assaults
Behaviors indicating potential for future violence (throwing things, shaking fists, destroying property)
Obsession with a particular person(s), stalking, unwanted phone calls
Other unusual behavior that might signal emotional distress
Suicide threats and/or crisis intervention situations
Verbal harassment (vulgar/profane language, highly disparaging or derogatory remarks or slurs, offensive sexual flirtations and propositions, verbal intimidation, exaggerated criticism or name calling)
Visual harassment (derogatory or offensive posters, cartoons, publications, or drawings)
Prohibited items (firearms, switchblade knives or knives with blades longer than four inches, any object intended for the purpose of injuring or intimidating)
Threats might be phrased in several different ways.
Direct threats: I'll get him for this. I'll get even with him. He did me wrong. I'll kill him. He's gonna pay.
Conditional threats: If they fire me, the system will crash. If they fire me, they'll never find the files. If they fire me, this place will look like the post office.
Veiled threats: If the computer files were erased, there would be no project. Misplaced files are hard to find. Just a...
