badworkplace

Archive for the ‘WORK – Safety’ Category

Should We Have Predicted the Alabama and Texas Acts of Violence?

In disgruntled worker, WORK - Bad Workplaces, WORK - Safety, WORK - Workplace Violence on 02/20/2010 at 10:30 pm

Did both the untenured Alabama prof and the unemployed Texas pilot show signs of troubled individuals that were apt to commit violent behavior?

Both of these recent cases are consistent with our premise that violence does not just happen, but rather anger and violent tendencies build toward an outright explosion like the eruption of a volcano (Van Fleet and Van Fleet, The Violence Volcano).  What makes them different is that, unlike most cases of Workplace Violence, the signs may not have been visible to the ultimate victims. Thus, there did not seem to be the usual opportunity to intervene before the volcano erupted — or in the case of the professor, before the volcano erupted again.

We know now that the Harvard-trained professor had reached the explosive point on previous occasions — e.g., when she shot her brother at home (not an incident of workplace violence) and when she exploded at another mother in a restaurant.  It is important to note that she was not held responsible for her actions in the first case and only received probation in the second, hence leaving no record that would be uncovered during due process by a future employer. Thus, there was little, if any, opportunity for the Alabama faculty to know about the past.  The observations that were made by students and faculty – “weird” and perhaps not a really effective teacher – are not signs of impending explosiveness.

Apparently the unemployed Austin software engineer/musician/pilot had had disagreements with the IRS over the years, but this would not have been known by the IRS personnel working in the glass-front building in Austin.  His wife and daughter are said to have noted a major change recently in his behavior and temperament but would not have had reason to expect that he would attack someone’s workplace (he did not have a workplace). As with the professor, previous signs occurred geographically removed from the current worksites and therefore not visible to the ultimate victims.

From the information we have at this writing, it seems that no one was in a position to see these explosive acts coming.  However, in hindsight, were there signs that were overlooked? It is very important that both the Alabama department  and the IRS as well as the families take off the blinders now and look carefully for signs that were perhaps missed.

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Health and Work Safety: Food Safety and the Food Supply

In 1, disgruntled worker, food safety, terrorism, WORK - Bad Workplaces, WORK - Harassment, WORK - Safety, WORK - Workplace Violence on 12/28/2009 at 11:35 pm

So we forgot that terrorists were still looming large until the little Nigerian hopped aboard the big jet plane to Detroit just a half hour before it lifted off. Let us use this Christmas Day event as a reminder that we are vulnerable in other venues as well. The food industry, for example. Whether it involves international political extremists or just your everyday disgruntled worker who “has had it” with his boss, a coworker, or the company.

If you work in the food industry – or if you buy food at someone’s workplace – workplace violence could suddenly and unexpectedly take on a whole new meaning for you.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates 76 million food-borne illness cases occur “naturally” or “non-intentionally” in the United States every year.

This amounts to one in four Americans becoming ill after eating foods contaminated with pathogens such as E. Coli O157: H7, Salmonella, Hepatitis A, Campylobacter, Shigella, Norovirus and Listeria.

Every year about 325,000 people are hospitalized with a diagnosis of food poisoning, and 5,000 die.

How easy would it be, then, for a disgruntled worker or customer to intentionally contaminate our food supply?

Is it any wonder that our Government and the food industry are concerned that terrorists might also target our food supply?

Are you concerned? Should you be?

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Health and Safety at Work: Stress on the Job

In 1, WORK - Bad Workplaces, WORK - Safety, WORK - Workplace Violence on 11/16/2009 at 3:19 pm

Just as you should seek information about accidents and safety for any job for which you are interested, you should also seek information about stressors and the level of stress on those jobs.

Stress is not a simple phenomenon. It refers to individual responses to strong stimuli, which are called stressors. While some stress can be positive— it can motivate you to work to your top level of performance— other stress or too much stress clearly is negative. Positive stress is beneficial whereas negative stress can be harmful if it is not recognized and dealt with at an early stage.

Stress can be caused by “good” as well as “bad” things. Excessive pressure, unreasonable demands on your time, and bad news can all cause stress. But receiving a promotion with a raise can be stressful, too: like the stress of wondering if you can handle the new job, or the disappointment of receiving a smaller raise than you had expected and thus not being able to afford something you had planned on being able to afford.

Positive stress is experienced by meeting deadlines, becoming more innovative, being more productive, and accepting challenges. Negative stress occurs when the pressures of life, including work, increase to a level where the individual can no longer cope. In other words, pressure is healthy until it exceeds the person’s ability to cope and then it can cause illness. Negative stress is the form you want to avoid.

Negative stress can be seriously debilitating and the effects can be long-lasting. Management and organizations suffer because of absenteeism, reduced productivity, increased compensation premiums — medical insurance based on stress are higher than other claims.  Thus, finding answers to questions such as the following will tell you indirectly if too much stress is associated with a particular company or job:

  • What is the level of turnover on this job?
  • What are the major sources of stress on this job?
  • What are the normal working conditions for this job?
  • Does this job involve ever having to handle or be exposed to chemicals, biological agents, or the like?
  • Does this job involve having to come into contact with people who are known to be sick?
  • Does the company have a wellness program?
  • Does the company have an Employee Assistance Program?

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Health and Safety at Work: Should You Be Concerned?

In WORK - Bad Workplaces, WORK - Safety on 09/20/2009 at 11:51 pm

Is your job a safe place to work? Do you know? Should we be analyzing our jobs to see whether they are safe?

There was a time when citizens could feel safe at work unless they were employed in a high-risk job like law enforcement, fire service, the military, or maybe construction.

There was a time when mothers and fathers taught their children that they would be safe if they went to work or school and “stayed out of trouble.”

Today, you may have a responsible, high-paying, accident-free job in a high-class company located in a high-rent district and still be unsafe.

The only machine you operate may be a computer; yet you could still face debilitating illness from your job.  You may make a business trip to another company location and encounter a terrorist’s bomb.

Unfortunately, all jobs are not safe, so everyone should be concerned about safe jobs. About 8% of all private sector employees will suffer lost time during any given year due to injuries or illness. Over a million American workers each year suffer disabling injuries.

Shouting “everyone is going to die,” a fired Fort Lauderdale maintenance employee walked into a meeting of his former co-workers, chased them around the office, and methodically shot them — killing five and injuring another.

A female teacher was left dead and a second critically wounded after an expelled student at a South Carolina high school returned to the school building and starting shooting.  He then turned the gun on himself and committed suicide.

After re-organization, downsizing, or restructuring, employees are expected to assume more duties and work longer hours with no change in their pay.  Mandatory overtime is required by many employers, placing a burden on employees but particularly those with families with small children.  Higher levels of stress often lead to workplace violence.

Such incidents have become all too common in organizational life.  As a result, many people have become interested in learning more about job safety and, in particular, which jobs seem to present the lowest risk to people holding those jobs.

Think about it.  How may YOU be able to make your company or your child’s school a safer place to work?