Signs of Potential Workplace Violence
Case Study 1 Rambo Goes Violent
The facts of the case are straightforward. A shop floor dispute at an automobile parts manufacturing plant in Hamilton, Iowa, ended with one worker killing another. At about 2:00 p.m., police responded to a report of a fight that erupted between two employees. When members of the Hamilton Police Department’s Violent Crime Unit arrived, they found Mark Lomas seriously injured. Lomas, 30, died three hours later at Good Samaritan Memorial Hospital. The other employee, Thomas Waycross, was charged with second-degree murder.
During the investigation of the incident, employees noted that Lomas and Waycross often “bickered” when working together. One employee remarked that Waycross liked to “act tough.” Another employee claimed that Waycross had a “Rambo-type” personality. It was widely known that management had told both employees to “learn to get along” or quit.
When asked about the incident, police spokesperson Kathy Calder remarked, “Employers must be vigilant when monitoring for signs of potential workplace violence.” Nancy Lomas, Mark’s wife, has filed a negligence lawsuit against the company.
Answer the following questions:
- What are some violence indicators an employee might display?
- What are some actions management can take to help prevent workplace violence?
- How can employees protect themselves against workplace violence?
The following requirements must be met:
Write between 1,000 – 1,500 words using Microsoft Word in APA style.
Use an appropriate number of references to support your position, and defend your arguments. The following are examples of primary and secondary sources that may be used, and non-credible and opinion based sources that may not be used.
Primary sources such as government websites (United States Department of Labor – Bureau of Labor Statistics, United States Census Bureau, The World Bank), peer reviewed and scholarly journals in EBSCOhost (Grantham University Online Library) and Google Scholar.
Secondary and credible sources such as CNN Money, The Wall Street Journal, trade journals, and publications in EBSCOhost (Grantham University Online Library).
Non-credible and opinion based sources such as, Wikis, Yahoo Answers, eHow, blogs, etc. should not be used.
Cite all reference material (data, dates, graphs, quotes, paraphrased statements, information, etc.) in the paper and list each source on a reference page using APA style. APA resources, including a template, are provided in the Supplemental Materials folder.