Violence is the number 1 leading cause of death in the work place for women

Violence in the workplace is a serious safety issue. Its most extreme form, homicide, is the third-leading cause of fatal occupational injury in the United States. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI), there were 639 workplace homicides in 2001 in the United States, out of a total of 8,786 fatal work injuries.

With today’s economy in such a turmoil anger and violence has become a major concern to most business owners and employees. The threat of job loss, being laid off, companies going out of business is an every day occurrence even in the most stable of economic times. With the increased threat to our futures economical collapse many have a hard time dealing with the added pressure.

Although economic pressure is one reason for violence in the work place, there are many different causes for the occurrence of violent acts. A long-term employee may become disgruntled if a newer employee is given a promotion the he/she thinks they deserved. A person may become angered by an extramarital affair of a spouse or boyfriend/girlfriend. A worker might become distraught after being fired. In most cases, the violence is usually triggered by one specific event, but the tendency toward violence must have been building up over time.

Workplace homicides are more common than most realize. In fact, the Bureau of Labor Statistics states that homicide is the second cause of death in the workplace. For women, homicide is the number one cause of death in the workplace. It also stated that one out of every four employees is attacked, threatened or harassed verbally or physically at work each year. With the high prevalence of violence in the workplace, it is important to be able to identify signs of potential violence, the underlying causes of workplace violence, means of protecting yourself and others in the workplace, and why incidents of violence must be reported and investigated. There must be a firmly enforced policy that does not tolerate or accept any form of violence. Employers have an obligation to their employees to protect them from hazards and harmful working conditions. To the extent possible, this includes protecting them from workplace violence.

Violence should not be tolerated or ignored. This means those victims, or others who are aware of the violence or the potential for violence, must do something about the problem. Failing to act properly might result in an escalation of the problems, resulting in workplace violence and/or homicide. No incident that sends a signal of potential violence-threat can be ignored, every incident must be taken seriously. The specific action to be taken for each overt threat, veiled threat, or questionable behavior will vary with the circumstances. Verbal and physical threats must be addressed directly and they must be handled by the right individual. When a worker’s behavior appears odd, different approaches might be called for. For example, a fellow worker, especially one who is a friend or relative of the worker exhibiting the strange behavior, might be the appropriate person to talk to the worker. The next person to talk to the worker might be the supervisor. In fact, the supervisor or foreman should pay attention to the mannerism and actions of the workers in the crew. All companies should use a violence prevention program. The programs should include a system for documenting incidents, procedures to be taken in the event of incidents, and open communication between employers and workers.