NCJ Number
196176
Date Published
February 2001
Length
16 pages
Annotation
This report summarizes the problem of workplace violence and presents recommendations for relevant research developed by participants at the Workplace Violence Intervention Research Workshop held in Washington, DC, in April 2000.
Abstract
Homicide is the third leading cause of fatal occupational injuries for all workers and the second leading cause of fatal occupational injuries for women. The National Crime Victimization Survey, a weighted annual survey of 46,000 households, estimates that an additional 2 million people are victims of nonfatal injuries due to violence while they are at work. To better understand its causes and possible solutions, researchers have divided workplace violence into four categories: criminal intent (Type I), in which the perpetrator, who has no connection with the business or its employees, commits a crime in conjunction with the violence; customer/client (Type II), in which a customer/client becomes violent while being served by the business; worker-on-worker (Type III), in which the perpetrator is an employee or past employee who attacks or threatens another employee or past employee in the workplace; and personal relationship (Type IV), in which the perpetrator has a personal relationship with the intended victim outside of work, but commits violence against the victim while the victim is at the workplace. There are three general approaches to preventing workplace violence. One is environmental, which can include adjusting lighting, providing security at entrances and exits, and using various environmental controls to discourage would-be perpetrators. A second approach is organizational/administrative, which includes developing programs, policies, and work practices designed to maintain a safe working environment. The third approach is behavior/interpersonal, which consists of training staff to anticipate, recognize, and respond to conflict and potential violence in the workplace. Little research has been done to determine how these general approaches could be tailored to counter each of the four types of workplace violence. This report suggests a research agenda for each type of workplace violence. A listing of 11 resources