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Copycat Risk

Recent Incidents of Workplace Violence November 2009

Roberta S. Flynn, Psy. D.

Nationally Spotlighted Incidents

The two back to back nationally spotlighted incidents of workplace violence at the beginning of November, 2009, left many employers concerned about the growing threat of workplace violence and proactive steps their organizations can take to reduce the risk and prevent incidents from occurring.

Workplace Violence Incidents More Numerous

In addition to those two incidents that made such headlines, you may not be aware that there were several other incidents within the last week that did grab much media attention. The acts of workplace violence, however, were just as important to those organizations and the victims who were involved. In Tualatin , Oregon , for instance, an estranged husband killed his wife and wounded her co-workers, and then committed suicide after opening fire in a drug-testing laboratory. The Department of Justice reports more than 1,000,000 violent victimizations in the workplace each year, resulting in over 160,000 serious injuries.

After these tragic incidents, there is always the danger that copycat incidents will follow. For people already contemplating committing acts of violence.... (Read the entire article)

When a Loved One is in the Midst of Danger

Roberta S. Flynn, Psy.D.

May 29, 2009

On May 28, 2009 I was visiting my older brother and his wife in Albuquerque , New Mexico . My sister-in-law’s niece, Caroline, teaches on Roatan, an island located off the Caribbean side of Honduras . Caroline had contacted her mother to inform her she had been caught in a 7.1 magnitude earthquake with an epicenter near the islands of Roatan and Utila. The quake was strongly felt in El Salvador , Guatemala and northern Nicaragua , as well as Honduras . Caroline was safe, house sitting in an elevated area of the island. Roatan was under a tsunami watch at the time. The watch was later cancelled.

2004 tsunami in the Indian Ocean

Islands can be in extreme danger after earthquakes originate in the ocean. The wave that begins as little more than a ripple gains height and strength as it travels. The end result may be a wall of water such as the December 26, 2004 9.3 tsunami that caused such widely spread death and destruction in Thailand , Sri Lanka , Indonesia and India after a 9.3 magnitude earthquake. It released energy equivalent to 23,000 Hiroshima-type atomic bombs according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).

The 2004 tsunami traveled 3,000 miles to Africa , and arrived with sufficient force to kill people and destroy property. A tsunami may be less than a foot in height on the surface of the open ocean, but it travels through the ocean at hundreds of miles per hour. Once it reaches shallow water near the coast it is slowed down. Since the top of the wave moves faster than the bottom, the sea rises dramatically. This tsunami caused waves as high as 50 feet in some places. It destroyed thousands of miles of coastline and even permanently submerged entire islands.

At the end of that day, millions of people were struggling with the reality of tens of thousands of dead or missing relatives, destroyed homes, and shattered lives.... (Read the entire article)

Workplace Violence Basics – Understanding and Managing the Risk

By David A. Smith, CEO, Roberta S. Flynn, Psy.D.

HEADLINES

6 dead in factory shooting

A heavily armed man dressed in a black T-shirt and camouflage pants, with extra ammunition stuffed in his pants and in a bandoleer around his shoulder began firing on fellow workers. The gunman killed five people at close range and wounded nine others before shooting himself, authorities said.

This is a typical and far too frequent headline and storyline describing a workplace violence incident in the United States . The Associated Press now keeps a running list of mass shootings in the U.S. starting with the nine killed and four wounded by James Edward “Pop” Pough at a Jacksonville , Fla. , office of General Motors Acceptance Corporation in 1990. This loss of life alone could be compelling enough reason for some companies to decide to take proactive actions to develop an internal process to address the behavioral risk of workplace violence. In other circles workplace violence does not hold as high a priority in annual planning.

Misunderstanding and misconceptions

Reasons given by some organizations as why they have not made violence in the workplace a priority vary. Today, individual’s tasks with the primary responsibility of providing a “Safe and Secure Workplace” understand that there is employer risk from workplace violence. Managers, supervisors and employees are also familiar with the term workplace violence, enough to make comments when ask to define workplace violence, “You mean someone that goes postal*” or “Shoots up the office”. They have seen the lead stories and headlines, read about tragic events like the above. Headlines and news accounts generally pickup on the most dramatic events and stories, generally involving weapons and death. Using this resource alone can result in misunderstanding the broader scope and the true impact of violence on the workplace...(Read the entire article)

Disaster Preparedness - Hurricanes, Flu Pandemics, Terrorism and Other Disasters

How Well Does your Company Measure Up?

By David A. Smith, CEO, Roberta S. Flynn, Psy.D.

Important Wake-up Calls

The terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 and more recently Hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Wilma in late August through October of this year have had a profound effect on just about every aspect of American life. Thousands of newspaper stories, magazine articles, and television and radio programs have brought the horror of these events into almost every home in the country. To a certain extent, these events have served as wake-up calls and have called into question the country’s readiness to deal with disasters both at a personal and business level. The risks of an avian flu pandemic and the possible wide spread effects brings one more potential disaster into light. The focus of this article will be on America ’s businesses and their preparedness.

Awareness of Risk

How well does your company measure up? How prepared are you? How many different disasters do you include in your planning? Can your organization survive a nearby act of terrorism, natural, manmade and other disasters including the recent concern of a flu pandemic? Have you made plans that will assist in business continuation after a disaster or are you at the mercy of these horrible events?.... (Read the entire article)