Indicators of Workplace Violence, 2019

• NCJ Number: 250748
• Author(s): Erika Harrell; Lynn Langton; Jeremy Petosa; Stephen M. Pegula; Mark Zak; Susan Derk; Dan Hartley; Audrey Reichard
• Date Published: July 2022
• Length: 64 pages
• Agencies: BJS
• Publication Type: Publication

Abstract

This report presents the most recent data on fatal and nonfatal workplace violence and is produced jointly by the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS), the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). The report provides data on 13 indicators of workplace violence, which include characteristics of workplace homicides, characteristics of nonfatal workplace violence, nonfatal injuries due to workplace violence treated in emergency departments, and nonfatal injuries due to workplace violence resulting in days off work.

Highlights:

Workplace homicide, 1992–2019

• A total of 17,865 workers were victims of workplace homicides from 1992 to 2019.
• A total of 454 homicides took place in 2019, which marked a 58% decrease from a peak of 1,080 homicides recorded in 1994.

Nonfatal workplace violence, 2015–19

• The average annual rate of nonfatal workplace violence was 8.0 violent crimes per 1,000 workers age 16 or older.
• On average, 1.3 million nonfatal violent crimes in the workplace occurred annually.

Nonfatal injuries due to workplace violence treated in EDs, 2015–19

• An estimated 529,000 nonfatal injuries from workplace violence were treated in hospital emergency departments (EDs) during the 5-year aggregate period of 2015–19.
• The rate of ED-treated injuries from workplace violence was 7.1 per 10,000 full-time equivalent (FTE) workers.

Nonfatal injuries due to workplace violence resulting in days away from work, 2019

• Female workers (5.1 per 10,000) had higher rates than male workers (2.3 per 10,000) of nonfatal injuries due to workplace violence resulting in days away from work.
• Male workers accounted for 82% of the 340 nonfatal injuries due to workplace violence that resulted in days away from work and involved an intentional shooting.