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.