While many news commentators and analysts are using Wednesday's shocking on-air shooting of two journalists in Virginia to debate gun violence and gun control, what's needed instead is a greater focus on the prevalence of workplace violence in the U.S., says CNN political commentator Errol Louis.
"We should focus on teaching the public how to spot, prevent and defend against workplace violence," CNN's Louis advises. "[I]t's time we armed every worker with the tools they need to avoid the fate of the young journalists killed in Virginia."
AFL-CIO highlighted the dangers of workplace violence in its 2014 annual Death on the Job report. As the infographic shows, 404 people were killed on the job in 2013. Furthermore, 70% of all serious injuries due to workplace violence are experienced by women.
On Aug. 27, Chicago Tribune posted a story headlined, "What's a company to do with an employee like Vester Lee Flanagan?" that offers some insight on the challenge workplace violence presents to employers. Read that story here.
In addition, NIOSH offers a collection of resources to help employers and employees tackle this issue, and OSHA has a safety and health topics page on the topic as well. ASSE members can also access various resources in the Society's Body of Knowledge by searching on the keywords workplace violence.