by Ann Withanee — April 29, 2011—Threats of workplace violence should remain at the forefront for security professionals. The recent release of the 2011 Workplace Violence Fact Sheet found that more than 5,900 people have been victims of homicide in the workplace in the last 10 years. Workplace homicides continue to be the third leading cause of death for people at work, according to the report, with an average of 590 homicides every year.
However, that number doesn’t include the number of attempts or suicides that happen in the workplace, said Barry Nixon, founder and executive director of the National Institute for the Prevention of Workplace Violence (NIPWV), a consulting, training and research firm that specializes in working with organizations to prevent workplace violence. That number is much higher, he said.
The industries at the greatest risk for workplace violence include late night retail stores, law enforcement/security, education, health services and transportation. In 2008, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that 24 percent of fatal workplace shootings occurred in retail locations, followed by 17 percent in leisure and hospitality, 14 percent in the government sector and 11 percent in transportation and warehousing.
The good news is that the number of incidents of workplace violence seems to be going down. Nixon attributes this to increased funding for security measures by the government and individual organizations. Also, high-profile incidents have increased the awareness of workplace violence and made employers and employees more aware.
For more information, see the NIPWV Web site.
