제  목 : VIOLENCE IN THE WORKPLACE
  일  자 : 1997년 07월
  제공처 : Current Intelligence Bulletin 57

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 Workplace
Risk 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.

        Document #705002

THIS PAGE WAS LAST UPDATED ON August 12, 1997