San Bernardino Shooting: How to Cope With Violence in the Workplace
Motive unclear in San Bernardino deaths, but workplace connection considered.
— -- The shooting rampage that left 14 people dead in California Wednesday has put a spotlight on violence in the workplace. Investigators are trying to understand why suspected shooters Syed Rizwan Farook and Tashfeen Malik marched into a conference at the Inland Regional Center in San Bernardino and allegedly started shooting.
The shooting took place at a work conference and holiday luncheon for the San Bernardino County Health Department and at least 17 people were also injured. Police said Farook had been a county employee for five years and was at the event earlier Wednesday but left at some point.
Whether this was a workplace-motivated incident remains to be seen but, either way, deadly workplace violence is relatively rare, with documented workplace homicides even declining from 463 in 2012 to 403 last year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries. That accounts for less than 10 percent of the 4,679 fatal workplace injuries in 2014.
Although rare, the Department of Homeland Security has released some of the signs indicating a co-worker could become violent. The agency recommends that people be aware when their co-worker gives unsolicited comments on firearms and violent crimes, if they have unexplained absences, paranoid behavior, talk about previous violent incidents and depression or withdrawal.
John Bruner of In-Crisis Consulting advises running, if possible, hiding, if trapped, and confronting and fighting an attacker as a last resort.
“You need to be aggressive; you have to fight for your life," Bruner told ABC News.
The Department of Homeland security has a detailed guide on how to survive an active-shooter situation. The agency advises running if there is a clear exit, but to be sure to keep hands visible and follow the orders of police.
If you need to hide, the agency advises barricading the door and turning your phone on silent. If you can't speak, the agency says you can still call 911 and leave the line open so the operator can hear what's going on.
If you need to confront the shooter, the agency advises using improvised weapons, yelling and acting as aggressively as possible.
Dr. Gail Saltz, a New York-based psychoanalyst, told ABC News that it's important, in spite of the news, that people do not become terrorized or desensitized to the violence. She advised being aware, but not letting frightening news overtake your life or stop your normal routine.
"Too many people are probably watching it over and over again and having it on in the background with their children in the room," Saltz said. "Unfortunately, we have to go to work and our children are aware that we go to work."
She pointed out that the chance of encountering deadly violence in the workplace is rare.
"You have to hold on to that kind of logic; know that you’re not going to stop crossing the street, you’re not going to stop driving your car,” Saltz said. “You’re not going to stop going to work.”
Get real-time updates as this story unfolds. To start, just "star" this story in ABC News' phone app. Download ABC News for iPhone here or ABC News for Android here.
Related Stories
ABC News Live