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Economy May Play Role in Workplace Violence

According to workplace violence experts, the recession may be creating the circumstances that lead to violent incidents such as the Jan. 7 shooting at ABB Group in St. Louis, which left four people dead, including the shooter and injuring five more. The shooter, 51-year-old Timothy Hendron, had been at the company for 23 years and was one of several employees who were suing it and its trustee for an unspecified amount of money because of the "unreasonable and excessive fees" related to their retirement benefits. The trial for the lawsuit began in Kansas City several days prior to the shooting.

While there is no hard data that shows a connection between violence and economic recessions, workplace violence expert Larry Chavez stated "There's more pressure put on people because of the economy. More people have faced a dissolving of their whole career. It's too hard to face for some people. When you have 23 years invested, that's a lot." Nevertheless, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration is urging companies to take several steps to prevent violent incidents such as the shooting at ABB Group, including implementing a zero-tolerance policy for threats made by employees, implementing a workplace violence protection program, and installing security technology such as video cameras and alarm systems.