Workplace Violence Statistics and What They Mean for Security Planning
Workplace violence is broader than the incidents that make national headlines. It can include threats, verbal abuse, physical assaults, robbery-related violence, conflicts involving employees or members of the public, and fatal incidents. For employers and property managers, that means workplace violence prevention should not begin and end with preparing for the most extreme scenario. It should also consider the everyday conditions that can increase exposure, including uncontrolled access, isolated employees, public interaction, late-night operations, poor incident reporting, and unclear escalation procedures.
At Security USA® Inc., we work with organizations that need security programs built around the way their workplaces actually operate. For organizations using professional security services throughout New York, current workplace violence data provides useful context for identifying where stronger procedures, staffing, or physical security may be needed.
What workplace violence actually includes
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health defines workplace violence as an act or threat of violence directed toward people at work or on duty. It can range from verbal abuse to physical assault and death.[3] That broader definition is important. A threatening visitor in a lobby, an escalating customer confrontation, repeated harassment of an employee, a robbery attempt, and a fatal attack are very different incidents, but all can expose weaknesses in how an organization recognizes, reports, escalates, and responds to threatening behavior. The security objective should therefore be broader than reacting once physical violence begins. Organizations should also consider how warning signs are reported, who receives that information, what happens when behavior escalates, and how security personnel support employees when a situation moves beyond normal workplace management.
Key workplace violence statistics
The latest complete national fatal occupational injury data covers 2024 and was released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics in February 2026.[1]
Several figures stand out:
- 733 fatal occupational injuries resulted from violent acts in 2024.
- 470 workers were victims of workplace homicide, up from 458 in 2023.
- 379 workplace homicides involved a shooting by another person.
- Workplace homicides accounted for 64.1% of fatal occupational injuries classified as violent acts.
- Women represented 8.1% of all worker fatalities but 15.3% of workplace homicide fatalities.
- Protective-service occupations recorded 281 fatal work injuries, with 97 homicides accounting for 34.5% of those fatalities.[1][2]
These statistics describe fatal occupational injuries. They do not represent every threat, assault, harassment incident, or other act of workplace violence that occurs across the country. That distinction matters because fatal incidents represent only one part of the larger workplace violence problem.
What the statistics tell employers and property managers
The numbers do not mean every workplace faces the same level of risk. They show why workplace violence should be treated as an identifiable security and operational issue rather than something organizations consider only after a serious incident occurs. Risk changes according to the environment. A hospital emergency department, retail property, office building, warehouse, financial institution, residential management office, and late-night hospitality operation may all have very different exposure based on who enters the property, when employees work, how money or valuables are handled, and how much interaction occurs with members of the public. That is why workplace violence planning should begin with the actual property and its operations.
Some workplaces face greater exposure than others
NIOSH reports that the risk of fatal workplace violence is greater for workers in sales, protective services, and transportation. The risk of nonfatal workplace violence resulting in days away from work is greatest for healthcare and social assistance workers.[3] OSHA also identifies several circumstances that may increase exposure to workplace violence, including exchanging money with the public, working with volatile or unstable individuals, working alone or in isolated areas, providing care or services, working where alcohol is served, and operating late at night or in areas with higher crime rates.[4] Those risk factors help explain why generic security plans can fall short. A workplace security program should reflect the people, hours, access patterns, physical layout, and operational conditions unique to that location.
Healthcare and social-service environments deserve particular attention
Healthcare and social assistance environments face their own workplace violence challenges. Employees may interact with patients, residents, family members, visitors, or clients who are experiencing pain, emotional distress, behavioral health issues, impairment, or other conditions that can make situations unpredictable. For hospitals and medical facilities, security planning should therefore involve more than maintaining a visible officer presence.
Security personnel, clinical staff, administration, and emergency responders need clear procedures for communication and escalation. Security cannot eliminate every behavioral risk. It can provide employees with a defined point of support, help manage access to sensitive areas, improve awareness around higher-risk locations, document incidents, and support staff when an encounter moves beyond their normal responsibilities.
Active shooter statistics need separate context
Active shooter incidents receive substantial public attention, but they should not be treated as interchangeable with overall workplace violence statistics. The FBI uses a much narrower definition involving individuals actively engaged in killing or attempting to kill people in populated areas.[5] In 2025, the FBI designated 34 incidents as active shooter incidents, compared with 24 in 2024. That represented a 42% year-over-year increase, although 2025 remained below the FBI's five-year average of 43 incidents annually.[5]
Those incidents occurred across 21 states and Washington, D.C., with locations including commerce, open spaces, government facilities, educational environments, and houses of worship. The FBI also reported that nearly 68% of the 2025 incidents involved planning and preparation by the shooter.[5] The purpose of including these figures is not to suggest active shooter incidents are representative of workplace violence generally. They reinforce the importance of reporting concerning behavior, establishing emergency procedures, and preparing employees and security personnel before a serious event occurs.
Security planning should begin before an incident
Physical security is only one part of workplace violence prevention. The strongest approach connects access control, employee reporting, management procedures, trained security personnel, incident documentation, and emergency preparedness. A workplace should know how visitors enter, which areas are restricted, how employees report threatening behavior, who receives those reports, when security becomes involved, and when law enforcement or emergency services should be contacted. Those decisions become much harder when they are being made for the first time during an active incident.
Access control can reduce unnecessary exposure
Many workplace security concerns begin with a basic question: who can enter the property, and where can they go once they are inside? An office with unrestricted lobby access has different vulnerabilities from one using visitor screening or controlled entry. A healthcare facility may need public access in some areas while keeping clinical, administrative, and employee spaces restricted. CCTV and access control systems can support that process by improving visibility, controlling selected doors, documenting movement, and helping security personnel review unusual activity.
But technology still requires procedures. Organizations need clear expectations for visitors, lost credentials, former employees, vendors, contractors, deliveries, after-hours access, and exceptions. A door system can control entry. People still need to decide what happens when something does not follow the normal pattern.
Security personnel provide a clear point of escalation
Employees should not be expected to personally manage every threatening or escalating encounter. Professional security guard services can provide a defined point of support when normal workplace procedures are no longer sufficient. That does not mean every disagreement requires physical intervention. Often, trained security personnel provide value earlier by observing behavior, maintaining distance, separating individuals when appropriate, controlling access, contacting supervisors, documenting activity, and involving emergency services when necessary.
Our earlier article 4 Ways a Security Guard Can Prevent Workplace Violence focuses specifically on the role officers can play in supporting workplace violence prevention. The larger security program should make clear when employees turn to those officers and what happens next.
Incident reporting can reveal patterns
A workplace may experience several smaller incidents before management realizes they are connected. Repeated threats from the same individual, unauthorized access attempts, recurring confrontations in the same area, unusual behavior during a particular shift, or repeated complaints involving the same circumstances may look isolated when each event is considered separately. Consistent documentation makes patterns easier to identify. Incident reports should provide enough information for management to understand what occurred, where it happened, who was involved, how the situation was handled, and whether follow-up is necessary. Patterns can then become part of the organization's broader risk assessment rather than disappearing when the immediate incident ends.
A practical workplace violence security checklist
Employers and property managers reviewing their current workplace violence preparedness can start with these questions:
- Reporting procedures: Do employees know exactly how and where to report threats, harassment, suspicious behavior, or escalating situations?
- Access control: Are visitor procedures, employee entrances, credentials, and restricted areas managed consistently?
- Higher-risk conditions: Are there employees who routinely work alone, handle money, interact with volatile individuals, or work during late-night or low-staffing periods?
- Security response: Is it clear when security becomes involved and when management, law enforcement, or emergency services should be contacted?
- Incident documentation: Are previous incidents reviewed for repeated behavior, locations, individuals, or operational weaknesses?
- Emergency preparedness: Do employees and security personnel understand their responsibilities during a serious emergency?
- Ongoing review: Are procedures updated when staffing, operating hours, layouts, tenants, access systems, or workplace conditions change?
A yes answer today does not mean the issue is permanently resolved. Workplaces change, and security planning needs to change with them.
Risk assessments can turn statistics into site-specific decisions
National statistics provide context. They do not tell an employer exactly where a specific workplace is vulnerable. That requires looking at the property itself. A professional assessment can examine entrances, employee areas, public interaction, parking, isolated spaces, staffing patterns, technology, prior incidents, emergency procedures, and communication between security and management. As explained in Security Risk Assessment Services: What Property Managers Should Expect, the most useful assessments are built around how people, access points, staffing, and technology actually interact across the property. That is where broad workplace violence data becomes practical security planning.
What the statistics mean for workplace security
The most useful takeaway from workplace violence statistics is not that every business should expect a violent incident. It is that violence can affect workplaces in different ways, and many of the conditions that increase exposure can be identified before an organization is forced to respond under pressure. BLS data confirms that workplace homicide remains a serious occupational safety issue.[1] NIOSH and OSHA identify industries and working conditions associated with greater exposure.[3][4] FBI active shooter data reinforces the importance of preparedness and reporting while representing a much narrower category of violence.[5]
For employers and property managers, the practical response is layered. Understand the workplace. Control unnecessary access. Give employees a reporting path. Establish security responsibilities. Document incidents. Prepare for emergencies. Review the program as conditions change. No security program can eliminate every risk. A well-designed program can reduce avoidable vulnerabilities and give employees, management, and security personnel clearer options when a situation begins to escalate.
Practical next step
If your organization is reviewing workplace violence preparedness, begin with the conditions inside and around the property. Look at who enters, where employees interact with the public, when people work alone, which areas are difficult to observe, how concerning behavior is reported, and what happens once an issue reaches management. Security USA® Inc. can help organizations evaluate these vulnerabilities through professional security staffing, access control, monitoring, and risk assessment. Use the form below to discuss the security conditions and operational concerns affecting your workplace.
Public Sources / Citations
[1] U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics - National Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries in 2024
BLS 2024 Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries
Supports: 733 fatalities from violent acts; 470 workplace homicides; increase from 458 in 2023; 379 shootings by another person; women and protective-service statistics.
[2] U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics - Fatal Occupational Injuries by Event or Exposure, 2024
BLS Fatal Occupational Injuries Table A-9
Supports: violent-act, homicide, shooting, and industry-level fatal occupational injury data.
[3] CDC / National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health - Violence and Work
NIOSH Violence and Work
Supports: definition of workplace violence and higher-risk occupational groups, including healthcare and social assistance.
[4] Occupational Safety and Health Administration - Workplace Violence
OSHA Workplace Violence Overview
Supports: workplace violence risk factors including public money exchange, working alone, volatile individuals, care services, late-night work, and certain public-facing occupations.
[5] Federal Bureau of Investigation - Active Shooter Incidents in the United States in 2025
FBI 2025 Active Shooter Report
Supports: 34 active shooter incidents in 2025; 42% increase from 2024; five-year average; geographic scope; location categories; and planning and preparation statistic.
