Epidemiological Data of Non-Fatal Workplace Violence from Local and State Law Enforcement Samples

Non-fatal incidents of workplace violence, regardless of their prevalence in contrast to fatal incidents, remain largely unexplored. Official criminal incident reports (N = 329) adhering to a well-established definition of workplace violence (excluding robbery cases) were selected from local and state police databases for a jurisdiction covering a Midwestern city (population roughly 200,000) during a 30-month period and examined to explore distinguishing characteristics. These incidents were considered in light of the California Safety and Health Association's workplace violence typology as a means of further delineating between aggressors across business, government, and educational sites. The relevant trends indicate potential considerations related to prevention and risk assessment.