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NIOSH

OCCUPATIONAL VIOLENCE

Resources

Publications

Workplace Violence Prevention Course for Nurses
NIOSH Publication No. 2017-114 (December 2016)
Healthcare workers face the risk of physical and non-physical violence on the job. In 2014, more than 9,000 healthcare professionals experienced workplace violence related injuries that required days away from work. To address this issue, NIOSH developed an award-winning, online Workplace Violence Prevention Course for Nurses. This flyer provides information on the course.

Women’s Safety and Health Issues at Work
NIOSH Topic Page
Homicide is the leading cause of injury death for women in the workplace, accounting for 40% of all workplace death among female workers. Workplace homicides are primarily robbery-related, and often occur in grocery/convenience stores, eating and drinking establishments, and gasoline service stations. Over 25% of female victims of workplace homicide are assaulted by people they know (co-workers, customers, spouses, or friends). Domestic violence incidents that spill into the workplace account for 16% of female victims of job-related homicides.

Workplace Violence Prevention Strategies and Research Needs
NIOSH Publication No. 2006-144 (September 2006)
This report summarizes discussions that took place during Partnering in Workplace Violence Prevention: Translating Research to Practice—a landmark conference held in Baltimore, Maryland, on November 15–17, 2004.

Violence on the Job
NIOSH Publication No. 2004-100D (DVD)
This video discusses practical measures for identifying risk factors for violence at work, and taking strategic action to keep employees safe. It is based on extensive NIOSH research, supplemented with information from other authoritative sources.

Working with Stress
NIOSH Publication No. 2003-114D (DVD), Publication No. 2003-114V (VHS)
This DVD program describes workplace factors that can create or exacerbate worker stress, and suggests practical measures for reducing job-related stress through changes in work organization. Working with Stress is the first NIOSH training and educational video program on the topic of workplace stress. It is a companion program to the 1999 NIOSH document, Stress … At Work.

Violence: Occupational Hazards in Hospitals
NIOSH Publication No. 2002-101 (April 2002)
This brochure provides information to increase worker and employer awareness of the risk factors for violence in hospitals and to provide strategies for reducing exposure to these factors.
En español

Scientific Articles

Workplace Violence and Training Required by New Legislation among NJ Nurses
Journal of Environmental Medicine: April 2017 / 59(4):e35-e40

Nursing student evaluation of NIOSH workplace violence prevention for nurses online course
Journal of Safety Research: February 2017 / 60:85-91.

Workplace violence and hospital security programs: regulatory compliance, program benchmarks, innovative strategies
Journal of Healthcare Protection Management: January 2017 / 33(1):89-105.

Compliance to two city convenience store ordinance requirements
Injury Prevention: April 2016 / 22(2):117-122.

Efforts to prevent workplace violence against nurses
CDC Nurses Work Group (CNWG) Newsletter: June 2015 / (5):4-5

Suicide in U.S. workplaces, 2003–2010: A comparison with non-workplace suicides
American Journal of Preventive Medicine: June 2015 / 48(6):674-682

Barriers to effective implementation of programs for the prevention of workplace violence in hospitals
The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing: January 2015 / 20(1):1

Incidence and risk factors of workplace violence on psychiatric staff
Work: May 2015 / 51(1):19-28

Workplace violence prevention for nurses’ on-line course: Program development
Work: May 2015 / 51(1):79-89

Cities with camera-equipped taxicabs experience reduced taxicab driver homicide rates: United States, 1996-2010
Crime Science: May 2014 / 3:4

Non-robbery related homicides among retail workers, 2003-2008
American Journal of Industrial Medicine: November 2013 / 57(2):245-53

The effectiveness of taxicab security equipment in reducing driver homicide rates
American Journal of Preventive Medicine: July 2013 / 45(1):1-8

Disparities in work-related homicide rates among workers in selected retail industries in the United States, 2003-2008
Journal of Safety Research: February 2013 / 44:25-29

Literature Search

NIOSHTIC-2 is a searchable bibliographic database of occupational safety and health publications, documents, grant reports, and journal articles supported in whole or in part by NIOSH.

Recommended NIOSHTIC search terms for workplace violence:

  • Homicide
  • Violence
  • Aggression
  • Bullying
  • Harassment
  • Mistreatment

Government Workplace Violence Resources

Bureau of Justice Statistics:

Workplace Violence, 1993-2009 [PDF 624 KB]
A Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) Special Report based on the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS). The report presents data on rape, sexual assault, robbery, aggravated assault, and simple assault against persons age 16 or older while they were at work or on duty.

Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Homicide Data:

Table A-2. Fatal occupational injuries resulting from transportation incidents and homicides, All United States, 2014

Table A-6. Fatal occupational injuries resulting from transportation incidents and homicides by occupation, All United States, 2014

BLS User Selected Data (e.g., occupations, demographic information, and homicides):

Public Data Query of Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI) data (refer to Workplace Injuries section)

Department of Homeland Security:

Violence in the Federal Workforce: A Guide for Prevention and Response

Federal Bureau of Investigation:

Violence in the Workplace: Preventing It; Managing It
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) released a monograph entitled Workplace Violence: Issues in Response. [PDF – 6,227 KB] The monograph resulted from a June 2002 symposium hosted by the FBI’s National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime entitled “Violence in the Workplace.” Representatives from NIOSH, other law enforcement organizations, private industry, government, law, labor, professional organizations, victim services, academic, and mental health agencies joined the FBI to share their expertise on this important issue.

Government Accountability Office:

Workplace Safety and Health: Additional Efforts Needed to Help Protect Health Care Workers from Workplace Violence
This report includes findings from the Government Accountability Office’s (GAO) review of workplace violence incidents in health care facilities.

Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA):

OSHA Safety and Health Topics: Workplace Violence
Workplace violence has emerged as an important safety and health issue in today’s workplace. Its most extreme form, homicide, is a leading cause of fatal occupational injury in the United States. Environmental conditions associated with workplace assaults have been identified and control strategies implemented in a number of work settings. OSHA has developed guidelines and recommendations to reduce worker exposures to this hazard but is not initiating rulemaking at this time.

Worker Safety in Hospitals: Caring for Our Caregivers

Enforcement Procedures for Investigating or Inspecting Workplace Violence Incidents
OSHA Directive CPL 02-01-052, (2011, September 8)

Preventing Violence Against Taxi and For-Hire Drivers [PDF – 64 KB]
OSHA Fact Sheet, (2010, April)

Recommendations for Workplace Violence Prevention Programs in Late-Night Retail Establishments [PDF – 404 KB]
OSHA Publication 3153-12R, (2009)

Office of Personnel Management:

Responding to Domestic Violence: Where Federal Employees Can Find Help

Other Workplace Violence Resources

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