In 2007, 1.8 million assaults occurred in American workplaces and the weapon of choice in most of them was the fist. Those sobering statistics come from Larry Barton, a crisis management and workplace violence expert who shared his insights at the recent National Retail Federation Loss Prevention Conference.

The typical offender builds a mental list of grievances over time, Barton told conference attendees, according to a recap of the conference on NRF's Web site. Barton outlined warning signs, emphasizing that it's usually not a case of an employee snapping all at once. He also noted the increase in soldiers suffering from post traumatic stress disorder back in the workforce as a factor, as mental illness and/or substance abuse is involved in 86 percent of all attacks.

Barton's advice to attendees: Encourage your employees to share concerns, adopt a consistent way to assess threats, involve law enforcement appropriately and don't play the role of lawyer — or judge.

For more tips, visit Barton's site or OSHA's comprehensive page on workplace violence.

-Amanda Long
along@safnow.org

 

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