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Workplace violence: Was strangled Yale student, Annie Le, a victim of it?
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Raymond Clark III 24, is arraigned at Superior Court in New
Haven, Conn., Thursday Sept. 17, 2009 in connection with the
murder of Annie Le, a Yale graduate student whose body was
found stuffed in the wall of the research building where they
both worked. (AP Photo/Douglas Healey, Pool)
Was Annie Le, the Yale student strangled to death, a victim of workplace violence?
Raymond Clark, 24, was arrested for the murder of Yale University student, Annie Le. Clark works at the same lab where Le studied and worked.
Besides Clark being arrested, the other interesting development was that New Haven Police Chief James Lewis said this was a case of workplace violence.
While no details have been released regarding Clark's alleged involvement in Le's death, the workplace violence moniker casts a different light on the situation.
OSHA (Occupational Safety & Health Administration) defines workplace violence as violence or the threat of violence against workers, and it can happen at work or outside of work. About 2 million American workers are victims each year, with 564 workplace homicides in 2005. OSHA provides many eTools and fact sheets at their workplace violence website.
Workplace violence is caused by the same things that cause violence elsewhere, except people are thrown together with others that they don't know and sometimes don't like. Work stressors such as the possibility of layoff, corporate restructuring, higher productivity demands, fear, and many other reasons can add fuel to an already smoldering fire.
If you ever are in a position that you are frightened at work, pay attention to The Crisis Prevention Institute's Prepare Training Program. They developed a workplace violence continuum which can help you identify less dangerous behaviors that may lead to something more serious.
The continuum begins with discourtesy, and from there moves through disrespect, intimidation, harassment, retaliation, verbal assault, and finally to physical aggression. Not everyone will begin with discourtesy and people may not show all of the behaviors. But this continuum gives a good idea of the broad range of behaviors that constitute workplace violence. All these behaviors can be broadly categorized as verbal behaviors or physical behaviors. The Crisis Prevention Institute recommends that verbal behaviors be dealt with verbally and notes that physical aggression may require a physical intervention.
Many workplaces are still living in a dreamland when it comes to violence. Thinking "it won't happen here," can be a recipe for disaster. Preparation is the key to prevention. Would a good workplace violence prevention program have prevented Annie's death? Who knows. However, it may prevent the next one.
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