Added Security After a Workplace Shooting

Workplace violence is a growing concern, not only in the United States but abroad as well.  Various background checks can help screen out the more volatile candidates prone to commit to workplace violence, but because violence can be brought on through external factors as well as internal actions, employment screening background checks can only go so far towards prevention.

I have written about workplace violence on numerous occasions.  One such article is entitlted, What’s the Most Violent Job in Seattle

Essentially, companies need to have  effective processing in place so that employees can report  real and potential threats of workplace violence and that clear channels of communications are established.  Getting out in front of workplace violence, where possible, is one of the more effective means of dealing with it.

Here is an interesting excerpt in an article from Associated Press…”Security has been increased at Southern California Edison following a shooting at one of the company’s offices on Friday. That shooting, which took place in the Los Angeles suburb of Irwindale, took the lives of four people and the gunman, who killed himself. A spokesman for Southern California Edison refused to say what new security measures were being put in place in the wake of those shootings or whether the security measures were being implemented throughout the company. Meanwhile, the investigation into the shootings is ongoing. All of the victims of the shooting were supervisors at Southern California Edison, thought it is not clear if any of them directly supervised the shooter.”

Of course this may be perceived as yet one more situation where the gates are closed after the horses are out of the barn.  But then, in fairness, there are numerous incidents of workplace violence that most likely could not have been prevented.  Better to take measures to prevent the next incident than to maintain the status quo.