SBCC Student Health Services &
Wellness
Early Warning Signs
of Potentially Violent Behavior
-
Direct, veiled, or conditional
threats of harm
-
Intimidation of others
-
History of violent behavior
-
Carrying a concealed weapon
or flashing a weapon to test reactions
-
Extreme interest in weapons
-
Fascination with incidents
of violence
-
Paranoid behavior
-
Moral righteousness
-
Bizarre thoughts
-
Expression of extreme desperation
-
Unable to take criticism
-
Disregard for the safety of
others
-
Being a loner
Communicating to defuse violence
Do:
- Project calmness: move and speak slowly, quietly,
confidently
- Be respectful
- Be an empathetic listener, encourage the person
to talk and listen carefully and patiently (this can be hard
when a person is ranting). Focus your attention on the person
- Sit close to the door, don't get right in front
of the person, maintain a relaxed posture
- Acknowledge the person's feelings. Indicate that
you see the person is upset. You can validate the feeling without
condoning negative acts. (I understand you feel______, and it's
not ok to _______)
- Form some bond/connection
- Use delaying tactics to help person calm down.
(Offer a drink of water in a paper cup)
- Be reassuring and point out choices. Break problems
into smaller, more manageable pieces
- Call Security if you feel threatened at Ext.
2400
Do Not:
- Be cold, apathetic, condescending robotic-(going
strictly by the rules without human factor)
- Reject all of the person's demands from the start
- Pose in challenging stances (hands on hips, crossing
arms). Try to avoid physical contact, finger-pointing, staring,
invade space
- Make sudden movements that could be seen as threatening,
remember to move and speak slowly.
- Challenge, threaten, belittle or dare individual
- Criticize or act impatiently toward agitated
individual
- Attempt to bargain with a threatening individual
- Make false statements or promises you can't keep
- Downplay the seriousness of the situation
- Try to focus on technical or complicated information
when emotions are high
- Take sides or agree with distortions
SANTA BARBARA COMMUNITY COLLEGE DISTRICT
ADMINISTRATIVE GUIDELINES FOR DEALING
WITH WORKPLACE VIOLENCE
- Introduction
Workplace homicide is the third
leading cause of death on the job according to the National
Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. "An estimated
1,400 people are murdered at work in the United States annually...
(and) as many as 7,000 fatal work-related injuries occur each
year as well" according to a National Traumatic Occupational
Fatality Study. These numbers do not account for a myriad
of other violent threats to security experienced by many employers.
Whether these happen on or off the work site, there is no
question that the cost to an employer, in human and business
terms, can be substantial.
An Employer who learns that a current
or former employee has threatened violence against managers,
supervisors or other employees may have to take certain
preventative steps under the Federal Occupational Safety
and Health Act (Fed-OSHA) and its state counterpart (Cal-OSHA).
These acts generally require employers to provide their
employees with a safe and healthful place of employment.
While the law in this area is still unclear, it appears
that employers who learn of threats of violence against
their employees may be required under OSHA to take action
to protect employees in the event that the threat is later
acted upon. The best way to respond under the Act would
be to address workplace security and provide training concerning
violent situations pursuant to the employer's safety program;
that is the objective of these guidelines.
- Procedure for Reporting and Investigating
Threats
- Supervisors will immediately investigate
any reported threat of violence to their employees in
consultation with the Personnel and Security departments.
The supervisor will advise the alleged victim of the right
to file a police report which could result in a criminal
complaint being issued.
-
The supervisor should assure the employee
that a thorough and prompt investigation will occur,
and should ask whether he/she has any suggestions for
minimizing the risk of a violent act.
-
The supervisor conducting an investigation
should interview the reporting party and obtain information
regarding the threat which would include: (a) who made
the threat; (b) against whom was the threat made; (c)
the specific language of the threat; (d) any physical
conduct by the threatening party which would tend to
substantiate that the individual intends to follow through
on the threat; (e) the names of any other witnesses
to the threat or violent conduct; (f) the time and place
where the threat or violent conduct occurred; (g) threats
or violent conduct by the alleged perpetrator before
this incident; and (h) any other pertinent information.
-
The supervisor in consultation with the
personnel and security departments should decide how
to approach the individual accused. Fairness and due
process will require that the perpetrator's side of
the story be told. Where the allegation of a threat
of violence or violent conduct is believed to be genuine,
the interview with the alleged perpetrator could occur
in the presence of district security personnel or in
unusual circumstances in the presence of local police
officers. Depending on the circumstances of the allegations
and the status of the evidence, it may be appropriate
to suspend the alleged employee perpetrator pending
conclusion of the investigation. The Personnel Director
shall be consulted before this is done.
-
Upon conclusion of the investigation,
the supervisor will review the case with the appropriate
Vice President, Security Director and Personnel Director
and will make an appropriate recommendation (finding
of no threat, recommended disciplinary or other action)
to the Superintendent/President.
- The supervisor should report back
to the complaining party as to any planned action.
- Defamation Claims
Supervisors are asked to proceed with the
investigation in a cautious manner, working with the Personnel
Department for legal assistance due to possible claims of
defamation by the accused. Defamation occurs when a statement
which is communicated to another individual is false, unprivileged,
and the cause of injury. For this reason, the supervisor should
work closely with the Personnel Department for legal guidance.
- Training
Efforts will be made by supervisors
and the Personnel Department to schedule workshops on conflict
resolution and related topics.
- A Checklist: Early Warning Signals
of a Potential For Violence in the Workplace
Experts caution that there is no definite
profile from which an employer can determine whether an individual
will be more prone to violence in the workplace than another.
However, the same experts agree, and our experience confirms,
that there are a number of signs often exhibited by employees
in a pattern of escalation leading to violence in the workplace.
Having one or even several of these signs does not mean that
the employee will be violent but should be used to heighten
concern. Conditions in the workplace can also suggest an increased
potential for violence. The most commonly mentioned warning
signals are the following:
- Any history of violent behavior before
or after employment with the current employer.
-
An extreme interest in or obsession with
weapons, e.g., paramilitary training, weapons collections
(often including semiautomatic weapons), and compulsive
reading and collecting of gun magazines. If this behavior
starts spontaneously or is out of character for the
employee, it should be considered.
-
Excessive discussion of weapons at work,
carrying a concealed weapon or flashing a weapon to
test reactions.
-
Making either direct or veiled verbal
threats of harm (i.e., predicting that bad things are
going to happen to a co-employee or supervisor).
-
Intimidating others or instilling fear
in co-employees or supervisors. (This can be physical
or verbal intimidation.) Harassing phone calls and stalking
are obvious examples.
-
Having an obsessive involvement with
the job often with no apparent outside interests. (Usually
outside relationships fail or are strained.) The workplace
becomes the person's sole source of identity. (Please
be advised that this characteristic may apply to many
of your best employees, including those who would never
commit a violent act.)
-
Being a loner with little involvement
with co-employees, with the possible exception of a
romantic interest in a co-employee. This interest will
often be so intense that the co-employee will feel threatened
and may report the unwanted attention under a sexual
harassment policy.
-
Being paranoid, panicking easily and
often perceiving that the whole world is against the
employee.
-
Not taking criticism well, holding a
grudge, especially against a supervisor, and often verbalizing
a hope for something to happen to the person against
whom the employee has the grudge. A classic example
is to hold a grudge over being denied a promotion, transfer,
etc.
-
Expressing extreme desperation over recent
family, financial, or personal problems. Giving up statements,
threats to quit, depression.
-
Fascination with other recent incidents
of workplace violence and approval of the use of violence
under similar circumstances.
-
An escalating propensity to push the
limits of normal conduct, with a disregard for the safety
of co-employees.
-
Failure to take consistent disciplinary
measures against threats of violence or minor incidents
of violence (e.g., pushing or touching which may or
may not be associated with a sexual harassment complaint).
-
Workplace events generating great stress
such as layoffs (downsizing), terminations, labor disputes,
transfers.
- Workplace locations and activities
which expose employees to the threat of violent behavior
from non-employees entering the workplace.
- SBCC Emergency Response Procedures
The following are suggested steps that
the supervisor/administrator should take when dealing with
an emergency violent situation:
- Call security (2400 or 2264) and police (911).
-
If incident involves a gun, lock down classrooms
and/or office if necessary and order students to lie flat
on floor
-
Secure the immediate area.
-
Provide first aid.
-
Notice and remember participants and witnesses.
-
Direct participants and witnesses to administrative
office.
-
Secure written statements that are signed
and dated from those individuals:
a. Statements should contain detailed facts, not conclusionary
statements;
b. Statements should describe participants' actions, so
witnesses should be asked to describe the event act-by-act.
-
Advise victims of right to file police
report which could result in a criminal complaint being
issued.
-
Notify spouses or families of victims and
participants, Superintendent/President and others with
a need to know, i.e. Personnel Dept., College Information
Officer, College Nurse, Workers' Compensation carrier.
-
After the incident, provide for mental
health counseling referral as needed for participants.
-
Consider suspension or expulsion of participants.
-
Prepare reports or other administrative
actions.
Approved by Superintendent/President,
March 22, 1994
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