NCJ Number
154222
Journal
Journal of Security Administration Volume: 17 Issue: 2 Dated: (December 1994) Pages: 1-10
Date Published
1994
Length
10 pages
Annotation
This paper presents a review of 10 recent incidents of employee use of deadly force in the workplace and assesses the scope of workplace violence; the authors describe typical employee assailants and victims, workplace violence causes, and managerial implications of employee violence.
Abstract
Violence in the workplace has been described as a significant public health problem, and awareness of workplace violence has been heightened by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). According to a NIOSH report, homicide accounted for nearly 13 percent of workplace deaths due to trauma, the third leading cause of occupational death from injuries between 1980 and 1985. Several other studies estimate that between 800 and 1,400 individuals are murdered at work each year. Of the 10 workplace violence incidents included in the current analysis which occurred between October 1991 and May 1993, three were at post offices, two were in industrial plants, two were in retail outlets, and three were in service settings. In each of the 10 cases, the employee assailant was quickly identified; nine were male and one was female. The average age of assailants was 34.7 years, and the average age of victims was 34 years. Guns were the weapon of choice in the 10 incidents; 17 individuals were killed and 16 were wounded. Violence in two incidents was motivated by robbery, while violence in the remaining eight incidents resulted from unfavorable personnel actions. The organizational response to violence was fairly limited. Only one organization had strict security during the course of the investigation. Steps that employers can take to prevent violence in the workplace are identified. 13 references and 2 tables