Is there a way to prevent violence in the workplace?

By Anita Kissée, KATU.com

A rash of murder-suicides have swept over the area in the last two weeks prompting questions if they could have been prevented.

Last week in Southeast Portland a man killed his girlfriend and their four-year-old son before turning the gun on himself.

Tuesday a man walked into his wife’s workplace in Tualatin shot and killed her, wounded two others and then took his own life.

And yesterday a family of three was found dead inside their Bethany-area home. There a man killed his wife and 9-year-old son and then committed suicide.

Many times it’s difficult to predict what triggers an act of violence but experts said there are often key indicators that hint there’s trouble.

“Ninety percent plus of the workplace violence shootings that the public sees in the media are preventable,” said John Posey, a local security management consultant at Corporate Security Services. He said domestic violence is the second most common type of violence at work.

“A lot of employers are operating on a 60s or 70s mentality that maybe domestic violence is a private matter.”

But in 2009 he said he believes employers have a duty to get involved for the safety of other workers and encourages training programs along with fostering an environment that encourages everyone – including the victim – to speak up when they spot warning signs that often appear in the weeks before.

“All of us are pretty much experts in human behavior and performance, and we do know for a fact when our co-workers are not behaving, when they make statements that are troubling, when our own red flags go off or when their performance and appearance [degrade] we do see those things,” Posey said.

In the shooting in Tualatin of Teresa Beiser by her estranged husband there were mixed messages about whether there were signs of trouble.

“I didn’t see any problems because they were still cool as ever,” said Al Dorsey a family friend.

“There were things said that made her scared sometimes,” Dale Wilson, the brother of Teresa, said. “You know, that made us worry something could happen eventually.”

Thom Bowser, Teresa’s bodybuilding trainer said, “Oh yeah, she did say that one day he would be OK and the next day he would be just angry and mean-spirited. She told me that he bought three guns after he moved out.”

Other warning signs besides a decline in personal appearance are more outbursts and excessive phone calls where shouting can be heard through the receiver.

Posey said if people think they’re in danger they should tell the person in charge of security at their job so that person can protect them and everyone else.