Page 119 - An Indispensible Resource for Being a Credible Activist

CHAPTER 8

CONCERNS ABOUT WORKPLACE VIOLENCE,

BULLYING, AND ENVIRONMENTS THAT
DAMAGE EMPLOYEE HEALTH, EFFICIENCY,

AND PROFITS

WORKPLACE VIOLENCE AND BULLYING

There are currently no specific OSHA standards for workplace violence. However, there are
rules, proposed rules, notices, and standard interpretations related to workplace violence avail-
able at OSHA’s Web site. Section 5(a)(1) and (2) of the OSH Act requires an employer to “fur-
nish to each of his employees employment and a place of employment which are free from
recognized hazards that are causing or are likely to cause death or serious physical harm to his
employees” and requires employers to “comply with occupational safety and health standards
promulgated under this Act.” Twenty-four states, as well as Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands,
have OSHA-approved state plans and have adopted their own standards and enforcement poli-
cies. Most of these states adopted standards that are identical to federal OSHA standard. 1
Each year from 1993 through 1999, “an average of 1.7 million people were victims of
violent crime while working or on duty in the United States, according to a report published
by the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS). An estimated 1.3 million (75 percent) of these inci-
dents were simple assaults, while an additional 19 percent were aggravated assaults. Of the
occupations examined, police officers, corrections officers, and taxi drivers were victimized
at the highest rates. The Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries
(CFOI) reported 11,613 workplace homicide victims between 1992 and 2006. Averaging just
under 800 homicides per year, the largest number of homicides in one year occurred in 1994,
while the lowest number occurred in 2006. 2
The FBI has available on its Web site the monograph, Workplace Violence: Issues in
Response, which includes discussions from law enforcement and behavioral perspectives on
interpersonal aspects of workplace violence issues.

The monograph highlights findings from the collaboration of experts who looked at the
latest thinking in prevention, threat assessment and management, crisis management,
critical incident response, research, and legislation. It also offers common-sense
recommendations and is recommended to employers, employees, and labor unions; law
enforcement agents; medical, mental health, and social service agencies; state and
federal occupational safety and criminal justice agencies; and legislators, policymakers,
and the legal community. 3

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