Workplace Violence Awareness
Identifying early warning signs of workplace violence:
An individual:
- makes direct or veiled threats of harm towards another person.
- intimidates a staff member.
- carries a concealed weapon or flashes a weapon to test the reactions of faculty, staff or students.
- displays paranoid behavior.
- cites righteousness and believes that the college is not following its own rules.
- is unable to take criticism of his or her job or work performance.
- expresses extreme desperation over recent family, financial, or personal problems.
- has a history of violent behavior.
- shows an extreme interest in firearms and their destructive power to people.
- displays a fascination with incidents of workplace violence and approves of such violence under certain circumstances.
- has a blatant disregard for the safety of others on campus.
- displays an obsessive involvement with their job, often with uneven job performance and no apparent outside interests.
- displays a romantic obsession with an employee or student who does not share the same interest.
Identifying an immediate threat of workplace violence:
An individual:
- uses profanity, a loud voice, makes threats, and/or insistent demands.
- appears anxious, paces, throws items or displays restless motor activities.
- has ripped or torn clothing and/or has visible signs of bruises and lacerations.
Identifying an incident that could result in imminent death or serious bodily injury:
Serious imminent incidents often involve a weapon whereby an individual:
- has shot or is threatening to shoot someone on the campus
- has used or is threatening to use a weapon against another person and is still on the campus.
- is holding members of the campus community hostage.