Program & Services

Violence on the Job

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health has found that almost 20 workers are killed each week in the United States. About 1 million workers die from workplace attacks each year.

Murder is the second leading cause of death on the job. This is second only to car crashes. Murder is the leading cause of death on the job for women. Men are at three times higher risk of being killed on the job than women. Murder is also the leading cause of death for workers under the age of 18. Most murders that happen on the job happen during a robbery (71%). Only 9% of these are done by coworkers or former coworkers. Seventy six percent of all workplace murders are done with a gun.

Most nonfatal job attacks happen in hospitals. They happen a lot in nursing homes. They also happen a lot in social service agencies. Forty eight percent of nonfatal assaults in the job are done by a patient. Nonfatal job assaults cause more than 876,000 lost workdays. Sixteen million dollars of lost pay are because of nonfatal job attacks. Nonfatal assaults happen among men and women at almost the same rate.

Murder in the workplace is different than other types of murders. Most workplace murders take place during a robbery. Less than 10% of murders outside of work happen during a robbery. About 50% of all people killed were related to the murderer. Most murders that happen on the job are believed to happen between strangers. Unique ways to stop workplace violence are needed.

Risks

There are many factors that place workers at risk for violence on the job. These include:

• being around the public
• exchanging money
• delivering services or goods
• working late at night
• working in the early morning
• working alone
• being around important things
• dealing with people who are violent

Anyone can be attacked on the job. The risks are bigger in some jobs. Taxicab drivers have the biggest risk of being attacked. The risk is 60 times the national average rate. The other industries at risk are:

• liquor stores
• detective services
• protective services
• gas service stations
• jewelry stores

The jobs with the most murders are:

• taxicab drivers
• chauffeurs
• sheriffs
• bailiffs
• police and detectives
• public service
• gas station workers
• garage workers
• security guards

Most nonfatal attacks happen in the following:

• nursing homes (27%)
• social services (13%)
• hospitals (11%)
• grocery stores (6%)
• eating and drinking places (5%)

Prevention

There are a lot of ways to reduce the risk of workplace violence. Examples of prevention are:

• Being able to see things within and outside the job
• rules for dealing with money
• separating workers from customers
• good lighting
• security devices
• escort services
• employee training

No one way is right for all jobs. All workers should know the risk of violence on their jobs. They should find a way to reduce those risks. A workplace violence prevention program should have a system for logging events. It should include things that need to be done when something happens. Employers and workers should always be able to talk.