Yale Murder Highlights Workplace Violence Risks

According to The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), two million Americans are subject to workplace violence each year. Defined as a threat of violence or an actual violent action taken against workers, some recent cases have heightened concerns about workplace violence. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data indicates that fatal occupational injuries due to assaults and violent acts were actually down 8% between 2007 and 2008 (864 in 2007 to 794 in 2008). But, during the same period, office suicides reached an all time high since the data has been captured by the BLS (251 in 2008 compared to 196 in 2007) – a 28% increase.

In January 2009, a survey of risk security practitioners by Security Director News found that despite all the recent focus on terrorism, 49% reported that workplace violence topped their security concerns.

Which workplaces are the most violent and how can we make all of our workplaces more safe?

When most of us think about assaults at work, we think about crazy, psychologically impaired workers; ones who are angry at the world and take it out on co-workers or management. To support this idea, a New Zealand study found that up to 10% of all workplaces harbored a psychopathic worker who was capable of functioning normally while also victimizing work colleagues.

Shockingly, in the U.S., with respect to nonfatal assaults at work, the healthcare sector leads all other industries; in 2006, this sector represented 45% of all nonfatal assaults against workers resulting in lost work days. The BLS measures assaults resulting in injury per 10,000 full-time workers. While a bit dated, in 2000, health service workers as a broad group had an incidence rate of 9.3 for injuries resulting from assaults and violent acts. The rate for social service workers was 15, and for nursing and personal care facility workers, 25. This compares to an overall private sector injury rate of 2.

Recent surveys have found that the results from 2000 have not improved and may have, in fact, worsened. A 2009 Emergency Nurses Association survey found that more than 50% of ER nurses had experienced violence by patients on the job and more than 25% had experienced 20 or more violent incidents in the past three years. Long wait times, a shortage of nurses, substance abuse by patients, and treatment of psychiatric patients were all cited in the study as reasons for the violence.

The National Association of Social Workers administered a membership workforce survey in the last half of 2007. Respondents reported that violence from adult clients (41%), vandalism of their vehicles (35%), car accidents while in the field (34%), physical assault from non-clients (32%), and fear of the neighborhoods in which they work (28%) were their major safety concerns.

In a 2007 study of workplace violence towards paramedics in Australia, 38% reported being physically abused at work. A 2007 survey of pediatric residents in the US found that 33% had been verbally or physically assaulted by patients or patients’ families, although verbal abuse was more common than physical assaults.

Taking Steps to Control Violence at Work (extracted from OSHA material)

1. Attend personal safety programs to learn how to recognize, avoid, or diffuse potentially violent situations.

2. Notify supervisors of any safety or security concerns and document all incidents immediately in writing.

3. Tell employees to avoid any location/situation where they feel unsafe. Use a “buddy system” or make an escort service available in potentially dangerous situations or at night.

4. Develop policies and procedures covering visits by home health-care providers, including social workers, nurses, aids, and EMT personnel. Address the conduct of home visits, the presence of others in the home during visits, and the worker’s right to refuse to provide services in hazardous situations.

The 2008 BLS data on workplace violence will be out soon. Hopefully, incident rates will be down. Workers and employers should continue to review and assess policies that will make the workplace a safer, less risky place to be. We spend way too much time working to feel unsafe.

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