Sunday's horrific shooting at the Target in Apex was a reminder of a grim reality:
Homicide is the No. 1 cause of death for women in the workplace, the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health says.
On Sunday, Target cashier Guadalupe Rosas became part of that statistic - shot to death at work, allegedly by former boyfriend Mervin Mims, who apparently turned the gun on himself. The shooting came less than a month after a worker was killed when her ex-boyfriend opened fire in a Duke University Health System clinic. Just over a year ago, Robert Stewart killed eight people at a Carthage nursing home; he was looking for his ex-wife.
The workplace is such a magnet because it's one spot where a victim can be easily tracked down.
Making work safer
Johnny Lee, founder and director of Peace at Work, said that in most cases, the violence is preventable.
He's not talking about installing metal detectors or stationing security officers at the end of every aisle.
The key defense, he said, is creating a work environment where employees feel safe to disclose that the irrational ex-husband or mentally ill ex-boyfriend has been making threats.
Whether Rosas knew that her former boyfriend, whom she dated five years ago, was out to hurt her is unclear. Mims' daughter said the two had been in touch recently. But Mims had no criminal record, and Rosas did not have a restraining order against him.
In studying more than 500 domestic violence incidents at workplaces across the country, Lee said it was clear that most victims knew they were in danger. But his study found that only 12 percent of employers knew of that danger. That may be why only 10 percent took steps to protect employees.
That's not to blame the victims for their silence.
Why keep quiet?
"There is huge and understandable resistance to saying anything about their situation," Lee said. "There is shame, embarrassment. There is also the very real fear of getting fired."
Employers smaller and less progressive than Target have been known to ax employees who are under threat from a former lover.
Although shootings are shocking and terrifying, Lee said, they are still rare. Butmany, many women deal with the threat of violence, privately, secretly, on a daily basis.
"If you're an employer of 200 women, I can guarantee, this is an issue for at least one of your workers," he said.
Following last month's shooting at the Duke clinic, Lee worked with the Durham Crisis Response Center on training for employers interested in improving the safety of their workers - and customers.
Damita Chambers of Interact said the Wake-based domestic violence organization has reached out to Target and hopes to set up a similar seminar in the Raleigh area.
Creating a work environment where employees who are being threatened and harassed are willing to discuss their concerns isn't easy. But the alternative can be deadly.
