"surveillance-camera video...showed worker attacking the foreman"

Workplace violence cannot be disregarded. The Aluminium Plant Safety Blog has posted incidents in the past of workplace violence. It is our sincere hope that the posts are used by plants to ask “can this happen here?”. Here is the story:

A workplace dispute landed a Lake Worth man in jail Monday after he allegedly attacked a co-worker with an aluminum pipe, the local County Sheriff’s Office said.

Deputies arrested a worker on a charge of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon. He was released from custody at the local County Jail the following day after posting $10,000 bail.

The incident happened Thursday at an aluminum business, a sheriff’s report said. A company foreman told investigators the dispute started when he asked a co-worker to help him clean an area in the workplace.

The co-worker had been helping the defendant at the time. Realizing that he had lost his help, the defendant went to confront the foreman, the report said. He allegedly grabbed an aluminum pipe that was about 5 feet long and hit the foreman several times, causing the foreman to fall.

Other co-workers intervened and persuaded the defendant to leave, the report said. Deputies reviewed surveillance-camera video that reportedly showed the defendant attacking the foreman.

On Monday, the defendant went to a sheriff’s substation to give a statement. He told investigators he acted in self-defense, the report said.

However, he acknowledged that the foreman was unarmed and he could not explain why he hit the foreman from behind, deputies said.

We pray that the injured worker recovers fully from his injuries.

When we bring up workplace violence on our plant visits the response is silence most times. Many plants fail to acknowledge this real hazard. In our opinion supervisors, department heads, and plant managers play a vital role in preventing workplace violence. It is these personnel that have to be available when a worker’s frustration with his job task is to the point where violence is a possibility.

Most of our readers can relate to be a fan of a team sport. From football (soccer in the USA), cricket, curling, etc. How often do you hear a team announcer ask “what is mood of the team today?”. Well that can be transposed to our workplace. A good plant manager should know the mood or feeling of his/her workers. We have told countless supervisors that they are the first contact with workers when workers need to vent. They have to be receptive to hear their worker’s complaints. If not them who?

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