Workplace Violence

The Riskiest Jobs Workplace Violence Risk Factors Types of Workplace Violence Prevention of Workplace Violence Warning Signs to Look for in Employees Common Traits of Violent Workers What Should Management Do? How to Protect Yourself More Resources

During lunch at a local deli, Jason said to Michael, "I hate my job -- they never give me anything to do and the boss is always on my back! One of these days I'm going to bring in my gun and take care of this problem for good!" How can Michael tell if Jason is likely to become violent, or if he is just joking or venting anger? Although many threats of workplace violence don't lead to anything, in almost all incidents that actually happened the violent worker told people beforehand what he was going to do. In the United States, the most common type violence in the workplace is simple assault with an average of 1.5 million a year. In 1996, there were 396,000 aggravated assaults, 51,000 rapes and sexual assaults, 84,000 robberies, and 1,000 homicides in the workplace. This section presents general facts about workplace violence, such as which occupations are the most dangerous and why. We discuss the types of workplace violence and give suggestions for prevention. Also included are details on what employees and managment can do. Click on the links on the side for more information.