Violence at Work: About 8 Crimes per 1,000 U.S. Workers, Most Not Reported to Police

Workplace violence can harm workers' physical and mental health and their ability to work, and according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, intentional injury by another person is a leading cause of nonfatal injuries that cost missed workdays. Most estimates count only crimes reported to employers or police, which are known to be too low. CDC's National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health instead used the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS), in which people describe crimes whether or not they reported them.

Key findings

• From 2007 to 2015, an estimated 10.3 million violent crimes against people aged 16 and older happened at work — 22% of all violent crimes.
• That's about 8 violent workplace crimes per 1,000 workers.
• 58% were never reported to police.
• Rates were higher for men (9 per 1,000) than women (6 per 1,000).
• Women were more often attacked by someone they knew from work (34% versus 19% for men).
• Violent crimes were reported in every occupational group.

The survey

The Census Bureau runs the NCVS for the Bureau of Justice Statistics, interviewing people 12 and older in a nationally representative household sample, in person or by phone; response rates typically run 80%–90%. People report crimes from the previous 6 months. The analysis counted incidents while victims 16 or older were working or on duty, in five categories: rape/sexual assault, robbery, aggravated assault, simple assault and verbal threat of assault.

Highest-risk jobs

Rates by occupation could be calculated only for 2007–2010, the years when the survey's job coding matched the Census Bureau's worker counts.

*Small samples; the estimate may be unreliable.

The riskiest jobs seem to be those with the most contact with people who may be violent, upset or vulnerable.

Who, what and how

Overall:

• Ages 25–34 reported the most crimes (32%).
• 80.3% involved a single offender, and 70.8% a male offender.
• 80.8% involved no weapon; a firearm was used in 3.9%.
• 13.5% caused injuries, and 9.5% cost some work time.

Why these numbers are higher

An earlier NCVS analysis put the rate at about 4 per 1,000 workers in 2009, but it left out threats of assault — which the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) counts as workplace violence, and which can harm health too. Other national estimates rely on workers' compensation claims, emergency department data or employer injury reports, all of which undercount.

Limits

• Only 1,948 workplace crimes were in the raw data, so many estimates rest on small samples.
• Self-reports can be wrong: stigma or safety fears (for example, when the offender lives in the household) may stop people from reporting, and victims may call a patient or customer a "stranger."
• A 6-month recall period can blur memories, especially of minor incidents.

Prevention

In an earlier NCVS supplement, only 60% of workers said their employer had written guidelines on workplace violence, and fewer than one third had ever had prevention training. Under OSHA's General Duty Clause, all workers have the right to a safe workplace; OSHA recommends engineering controls, administrative controls, employee training and zero-tolerance policies.

The authors suggest training and controls that help employers and workers recognize and manage specific risks, and prevention programs tailored to different worker groups and offender relationships — including separate approaches for men and women in particular occupations. Some studies partly link sex differences to work hours and shifts, conflict-resolution styles and job assignments based on social roles; the reasons deserve more research.

Sources

Based on Siegel M, Johnson CY, Lawson CC, Ridenour M, Hartley D, "Nonfatal Violent Workplace Crime Characteristics and Rates by Occupation — United States, 2007–2015," Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report 69(12), CDC; a work of the United States government in the public domain.