by Shari Lifland
Unless you work in law enforcement or drive a taxicab in New York
City, chances are you don’t set off for work everyday fearing for
your life. Yet according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration
(OSHA) workplace violence has emerged as an important safety and
health issue in today’s workplace. Each year in the U.S., nearly
1,000 workers are murdered, and 1.5 million are assaulted in the
workplace.
According to the Department of Justice’s National Crime Victimization
Survey, assaults and threats of violence against Americans at work
number almost 2 million a year. The most common type of workplace
violence is simple assault, with an average of 1.5 million a year.
There are also 396,000 aggravated assaults, 51,000 rapes and sexual
assaults, 84,000 robberies, and nearly 1,000 homicides annually.
NOTE: Workplace homicides fell to their lowest level in the past
six years prior to 1997, but continue as the second leading cause
of job-related deaths. Robbery is the primary motive of job-related
homicide (85 percent) while disputes among coworkers, customers,
and clients accounted for about one-tenth of the total.
Economic Impact of Workplace Violence, per Year
- 500,000 employees lose 1,175,100 workdays
- Lost Wages of $55 million
- Lost productivity, legal expenses, property
damage, diminished public image, increased security: billions
of dollars.
How is Workplace Violence Defined?
According to OHSA: Workplace violence is any physical assault,
threatening behavior, or verbal abuse occurring in the work setting.
A workplace may be any location — either permanent or temporary
— where an employee performs any work-related duty.
This includes, but is not limited to, the buildings and the surrounding
perimeters, including the parking lots, field locations, clients’
homes, and traveling to and from work assignments.
Risk Factors for Workplace Violence
- Contact with the public
- Exchange of money
- Delivery of passengers, goods or services
- Having a mobile workplace (i.e., taxicab
or police cruiser)
- Working with unstable persons in health
care, social services or criminal justice settings
- Working alone or in small numbers
- Working late at night or during early
morning hours
- Poorly lit parking areas
- Working in high-crime areas
- Guarding valuable property or possessions
- Working in community-based settings
Most Dangerous Occupations
The most dangerous occupation is retail sales, with 330,000 sales
workers being attacked each year. This group also experienced the
highest number of workplace homicides — an average of 327 each
year from 1993 to 1996. In fact, job-related homicides in retail
trade account for almost half of all workplace homicides. The second
most dangerous profession is police officer, with an average of
234,200 officers victimized each year.
Other Risk Rates: (Per 1,000):
Private security guards 218 Mental health professionals 80 Middle
school teachers 57
OSHA has developed advisory guidelines to assist employers seeking
to provide a safe and healthful workplace. Their Workplace Violence
Prevention Program consists of five elements:
1. Management commitment and employee involvement
2. Worksite analysis
3. Hazard prevention and control
4. Training and education
5. Record keeping and evaluation
For more detailed information about this program, visit OSHA’s
website.
For a related article, Corporate Liability: Sharing the Blame
for Workplace Violence, click here.
Shari Lifland is a New York-based writer.
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