Determining Risk Factors for Workplace Violence
A risk factor is a condition or circumstance that may increase the likelihood of violence occurring in a particular setting. For instance, handling money in a retail service makes that workplace a more likely target for robbery, the most common kind of violence by strangers in the workplace. An attorney's office, where all payments are received by check and money is not directly handled, would not present the same kind of target and would not be at the same degree of risk of violence due to the handling of money.
NIOSH has identified certain risk factors, listed below, that could increase the chances of workplace assault. These risk factors, listed in a DHHS/NIOSH Bulletin from 1996, can contribute to an increased risk of homicide when combined or experienced individually.
- Contact with the public
- Exchange of money
- Delivery of passengers, goods, or services
- Having a mobile workplace such as a taxicab or police cruiser
- Working with unstable or volatile persons in health care, social service, or criminal justice settings
- Working alone or in small numbers
- Working late at night or during early morning hours
- Working in high-crime areas
- Guarding valuable property or possessions
- Working in community-based settings
Knowledge Check Choose the best answer for the question.
1-6. According to NIOSH, what is one of the factors that increase the risk of workplace assault?
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