For
the second day in a row, America is rocked by another multiple shooting. This one happened on the eighth floor of a downtown Orlando high-rise office building.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) keeps track of workplace violence.
In 2008, 517 people died in workplace homicides, 413 of them in shootings. As the FBI puts it, "Mass murder on the job by disgruntled employees are media-intensive events. However, these mass murders, while serious, are relatively infrequent events. It is the threats, harassment, bullying, domestic violence, stalking, emotional abuse, intimidation and other forms of behavior and physical violence that, if left unchecked, may result in more serious violent behavior. These are the behaviors that supervisors and managers have to deal with every day."
The BLS data for 2008 shows that bosses and top managers are frequently the target of workplace homicides. But the largest number of victims of workplace homicides in 2008 were "first-line supervisors/managers and protective service workers."
The Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) says:
"Some 2 million American workers are victims of workplace violence each year. Workplace violence can strike anywhere, and no one is immune. Some workers, however, are at increased risk. Among them are workers who exchange money with the public; deliver passengers, goods, or services; or work alone or in small groups, during late night or early morning hours, in high-crime areas, or in community settings and homes where they have extensive contact with the public. This group includes health-care and social service workers such as visiting nurses, psychiatric evaluators and probation officers; community workers such as gas and water utility employees, phone and cable TV installers, and letter carriers; retail workers; and taxi drivers."
As journalists delve into the background of these two shooters,...
