Five faculty members were among the 32 people murdered April 16, 2007, on the campus of Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia. The Virginia Tech massacre has renewed the focus on what steps employers can and should take to reduce the likelihood of violence in the workplace.
Workplace violence is not a rarity. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), in 2005, nearly half of employers with over 1,000 employees reported an incident of workplace violence in the previous 12 months. 1 In addition, a 2004 USA Today analysis indicated that an average of 25 people per week are injured as a result of workplace violence, and there is one fatality a week from workplace violence. 2 More subtle forms of workplace violence occur in workplaces around the country at astonishing rates.
HOW IS WORKPLACE VIOLENCE DEFINED?
Violence in the workplace can come in all forms and severity levels. The term workplace violence is often overused; it is more accurate to use both the terms workplace violence and inappropriate workplace aggression to define the full range of aggressive actions (and inactions) that can occur in the workplace.
Homicide is the most publicized form of workplace violence, but it is certainly not the most common type of behavior considered workplace violence. Nonlethal forms of violence occur much more frequently than fatal assaults. A broad range of conduct is considered workplace violence, including the following:
• Sabotage of a coworker or manager causing damage to his or her property, • Violent confrontations in the workplace,
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