Death at Work

It’s happened again.  A Kentucky workplace is the site of the latest incident of violence.  Before killing himself, an enraged employee killed his supervisor and four co-workers within a matter of minutes.  As the plant manager said, it was the “worst day of my life.”

The employee had been reprimanded for using his cell phone on an assembly line and for not wearing his safety glasses.  He had also fought with a co-worker, either at the plant or perhaps at a location away from the plant.  All of this happend on the day of the shooting.  His supervisor told the employee to leave the plant around midnight.  He returned.   The supervisor came outside with the employee.   The employee shot and killed the supervisor.  The employee then went inside and began shooting co-workers in the breakroom.  He tracked down the co-worker with whom he had fought and killed him.  The employee then committed suicide.

The weapon used by the employee was a semiautomatic handgun, which the employee had stopped to reload during the shooting frenzy.  The employee kept the handgun in his car, which is legal in Kentucky.  As previously noted on this blog, there’s a movement afoot in numerous state legislatures to prevent employers from banning weapons on employer property, particularly in employee cars located in employer parking lots.  While some argue that these laws will prevent workplace violence by allowing law-abiding employees to have guns available to protect themselves, this latest incident suggests that just the opposite is true.

Ironically, there are news reports that the U.S. Supreme Court has, in a ruling today, nullified the District of Columbia’s handgun ban based on the Second Amendment.  This ruling will surely give proponents of state law proposals designed to restrict an employer’s right to ban weapons from the workplace and workplace property a boost.  I haven’t read the Court’s opinion (over 150 pages) yet but will as soon as possible.  I’ll do a post on the opinion and what it means for employers soon.

One thing it may mean is that human resources will need to add to its list of training topics something like “how to use guns in the workplace” or “how to get to your car and get your gun once the shooting starts without getting shot yourself” or “how to tell if someone is about to open fire.”  It’ll be a whole new perverse way for consultants to make money.

Although the facts surrounding the shooting in question aren’t entirely clear, consider the following.  If an employee gets in trouble three times in one day, something is going on that shouldn’t be ignored.  It’s something that may need more than traditional discipline.  Sit down and try to have a calm conversation with the employee.  Try to ease what is obviously a situation that’s headed in a bad direction.  If you have an employee assistance program, try to get the employee to use it. 

If you send an employee home and it’s known that the employee has a gun in his car (which was apparently the case here), have security present.  If you don’t have security, call the police.  If the employee comes back, don’t go outside with him.  Lock the door.  Don’t let him back into the facility.  Don’t take chances.  Err on the side of caution.  Try to avoid what will be the “worst day of your life.”

1. 

   Josh says:

   June 27, 2008 at 12:36 pm

   Why is it hard to understand that no amount of sinage and paperwork is going to keep someone with the mindset to kill from bringing a gun and doing just that?!?
2. 

   John Phillips says:

   June 27, 2008 at 6:46 pm

   It’s not to hard understand at all. Most employers just want to be able to all they can to prevent it from happening in the workplace. If someone is set on shooting someone else, it’s probably going to happen. You try your best to prevent it, however.

   Thanks for weighing in.