Homicide as the cause of death in the workplace has risen from ninth in 2015 to fourth in 2018. OSHA has increasingly invoked the General Duty Clause to require employers to protect workers from workplace violence from bullying to homicides.
The safety community has been quick to respond with presentations at virtually every safety trade show and symposium. Unfortunately in their haste, many of the nouveau experts have done a sloppy job of bringing their ideas to the market. Not all workplace homicides are the same, and the differences in the motivations of the gunman should mean a corresponding change in our preparation and response. So what are the different kinds of workplace shootings?