How well do you know your co-workers? A very real, clear and present danger lurks just beyond the consciousness of people who work together eight to ten hours a day, five to seven days a week. It is the potential for violence to occur while on the clock. Workplace violence is a serious issue and a growing nationwide concern for both employers and employees.
According to the United States Department of Labor and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) an estimated 2 million American workers have reported being victims of workplace violence each year. Unfortunately, many more cases go unreported due to the fact that many are worried about jeopardizing employer and employee relationships.
Workplace violence is defined in terms of violence or the threat of violence against workers. Many people believe that workplace violence is limited to the location of the office or where work is being carried out, but violence can extend beyond. It can occur outside the workplace and can range from threats and verbal abuse to physical assaults and even murder. Perhaps the most prominent problem with workplace violence is that it can extend beyond employees and employers, but also include clients, customers and visitors.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics produces an annual Injuries, Illnesses and Fatalities (IIF) program that provides information on the rate and number or work related injuries, illnesses and fatal injuries and how these statistics vary my incident, industry, geography, occupation and other characteristics. In this program homicide is the considered the fourth leading cause of fatal occupational injury in the United States. Each year, nearly 1,000 workers are murdered and 1.5 million are assaulted in the workplace.
Between 2004 and 2008 an average of 564 work-related homicides occurred each year in the U.S and about 4 of every 5 homicide victims were male. According to the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries Summary for 2010, of the 4,547 fatal workplace injuries that occurred, 506 were workplace homicides. Although the report shows workplace homicides have declined by 7 percent to the lowest total ever recorded by the fatality census; workplace homicides involving women increased by 13 percent. In fact, homicide is the leading cause of death for women in the workplace.
Even with the decline, the 2010 preliminary count of workplace suicides is the third highest annual total for the fatal work injury census. This could be due in part to the current economic turn down, but many factors can contribute to the motivation for workplace violence. The most common motive for job-related homicide is robbery, accounting for 85 percent of workplace violence deaths.
The reality is the regardless or profession or industry, workplace violence can strike anywhere and no one is immune. Some workers, however, are statistically at a greater risk. Among those whom are more susceptible to workplace are workers who exchange money with the public, deliver passengers, goods, or services; those who work alone or in small groups during late night or early morning hours. This group includes health-care and social service workers such as visiting nurses, psychiatric evaluators and probation officers and even community workers such as gas and water utility employees. The taxicab industry has the highest risk, nearly 60 times the national average for potential workplace violence.
Although American workplace homicides have had an overall 16 percent decline over the past decade, there is still risk for violence to happen to any employee. Increasingly the Human Resources function is both the target of these threats of workplace violence and the company's first line of defense for the prevention of workplace violence. The best protection employers can offer is to establish a zero-tolerance policy toward workplace violence.
Nothing can guarantee that an employee will not become a victim of workplace violence, but by learning how to recognize, avoid or diffuse potentially violent situations can help. It is important to alert supervisors about any safety of security concerns. All workers employed in the United States are protected by the Occupational Safety and Health Act which requires all employers to provide a safe, secure and healthful workplace.
