5 Ways to Protect Employees from Workplace Violence

By Gen Handley

Workplace violence can appear in a number of different—and harmful—ways. According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), workplace violence is defined as “any act or threat of physical violence, harassment, intimidation or other threatening disruptive behavior that occurs at the work site.”

This can, of course, include physical aggression, verbal threats, verbal abuse and homicide. The National Safety Council reports that violent assaults at work resulted in 20,050 injuries and illnesses requiring days away from work in 2020 and nearly 500 fatalities in 2021.

Workplace violence can hurt and impact a broad swath of the workforce. However, OSHA says people have a greater risk of being affected by workplace violence if they have a job where they:

• provide services or care,
• exchange money with the public,
• work with potentially volatile or unstable people and
• work alone or in isolation.

Under these guidelines, this includes people who work in the following industries:

• health care,
• social work,
• mental health and addiction services,
• hotel and hospitality,
• public water and electrical utilities,
• delivery drivers,
• law enforcement and
• security work/services.

In order to focus on preventing workplace violence, we first need to understand ways employees can be hurt on the job, and the intent behind those actions.

Read more here.

More Safety News of Note:

• Room for Improvement in Safety in the Workplace
• Your Questions About What's Happening in Washington, Answered.
• Facing the Freeze with Ease: Essential Winter Safety Gear and Strategies for Preventing Cold Stress
• Call for Speakers: Safety Leadership Conference 2025

This newsletter was written and produced by Managing Editor Nicole Stempak. If you have any questions, suggestions or ideas, please add them in the comments below.

This LinkedIn newsletter is sent monthly. If you crave more workplace safety news and insights, feel free to sign up for our other newsletters here.