“In August 1986, fourteen employees were shot and killed and six were wounded at a post office in Edmond, Oklahoma, by Patrick Sherrill, a postman. Mr. Sherrill then committed suicide. In the following years, there were many other instances of a postal worker fatally shooting co-workers, supervisors, and others. Even though researchers claim that homicide rates at postal facilities are lower than at other workplaces, the phrase “going postal” has long been used as slang for becoming uncontrollably angry, usually violent, in a workplace.
In the decades since Mr. Sherrill “went postal,” workplace violence has been a growing concern for employers and employees. More often than not, guns are used in instances of workplace violence. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor, in 2012, 81% of workplace homicides were shootings and 48% of workplace suicides were shootings. The following does not attempt to discuss the greater issues of whether there are too many guns or not enough guns, but rather what employers can do, given the present realities.”
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Our author, Barbara G. Stephenson, is a shareholder/director with Sheehan & Sheehan, P.A. Her area of practice is in employment and labor law (representing employers only), with 25% of her practice devoted to litigation. She has successfully defended local and national employers against a wide variety of employment charges and lawsuits.
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