June 1997
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has found that an average of 20 workers are murdered each week in the United States. In addition, an estimated 1 million workers -18,000 per week - are victims of nonfatal workplace assaults each year.
Homicide is the second leading cause of death on the job, second only to motor vehicle crashes. Homicide is the leading cause of workplace death among females. However, men are at three times higher risk of becoming victims of workplace homicides than women. Homicide is also the leading cause of death for workers under 18 years of age. The majority of workplace homicides are robberyrelated crimes (71%) with only 9% committed by coworkers or former coworkers. Additionally, 76% of all workplace homicides are committed with a firearm.
Most nonfatal workplace assaults occur in service settings such as hospitals, nursing homes, and social service agencies. Forty eight percent of nonfatal assaults in the workplace are committed by a health care patient. Nonfatal workplace assaults result in more than 876,000 lost workdays and $16 million in lost wages. Nonfatal assaults occur among men and women at an almost equal rates.
The circumstances of workplace violence differ significantly from those of other types of homicides. While most workplace homicides are robbery-related, less than 10% of homicides in the general population occur during a robbery. Additionally, in the general population about 50% of all murder victims were related to their assailants whereas the majority of workplace homicides are believed to occur among people who do not know each other. These differences call for unique prevention measures targeted specifically to the workplace.
Risk Factors
Factors that place workers at risk for violence in the workplace include interacting with the public, exchanging money, delivering services or goods, working late at night or during early morning hours, working alone, guarding valuable goods or property, and dealing with violent people or volatile situations.
Anyone can become the victim of a workplace assault, but the risks are much greater in certain industries and occupations. For workplace homicides, the taxicab industry has the highest risk at 41.4/100,000, nearly 60 times the national average rate (0.70/100,000). The taxicab industry is followed by liquor stores (7.5) detective/protective services (7.0), gas service stations (4.8) and jewelry stores (4.7). The occupations with the highest homicide rates are taxicab drivers/chauffeurs (22.7), sheriffs/bailiffs (10.7), police and detectivespublic service (6.1), gas station/garage workers (5.9), and security guards (5.5). The majority of nonfatal assaults occurred in the service (64%) and retail trade (21%) industries. Specifically, 27% occurred in nursing homes, 13% in social services, 11% in hospitals, 6% in grocery stores, and another 5% occurred in eating and drinking places.
Prevention
A number of environmental, administrative, and behavioral strategies have the potential for reducing the risk of workplace violence. Examples of prevention strategies include (but are not limited to) good visibility within and outside the workplace, cashhandling policies, physical separation of workers from customers or clients, good lighting, security devices, escort services, and employee training. No single strategy is appropriate for all workplaces, but all workers and employers should assess the risk of violence in their workplaces and take appropriate action to reduce those risks. A workplace violence prevention program should include a system for documenting incidents, procedures to be taken in the event of incidents, and open communication between employers and workers.
Additional Information
NIOSH has published Current Intelligence Bulletin 57: Violence in the WorkplaceRisk Factors and Prevention Strategies (DHHS [NIOSH] Publication No. 96-100). Copies can be obtained free-of-charge from the NIOSH Publications Office while supplies last:
telephone 1-800-35-NIOSH (1-800-356-4674)
fax 513-533-8573
e-mail pubstaft@cdc.gov
For a complete listing of documents available on the CDC Fax Information Service call
1-888-CDC-FAXX (1-888-232-3299) and request document #000006. This information is also
available on the Internet at CDC's web site.
