ce occurs. Employees, customers, and strangers perpetrate workplace violence. The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and many states require employers provide a “safe and healthful workplace” (Fukumura and Schor, 2002, 23).
When workplace violence occurs, employers are at risk for litigation and are subjected to fines from state and federal agencies. Violence in the workplace occurs with such frequency that according to the U.S. Department of Labor, it is the leading cause of death for women in the workplace and the second leading cause of death for men (Sanderford-O’Connor, 2002, 102). The need to maintain a safe workplace is becoming more critical for employers who wish to avoid significant losses in terms of human resources and income. According to Sanderford-O’Connor (2002), violent acts including emotional harassment, physical aggression, sabotage, vandalism, and theft cost companies an estimated $35.4 billion from legal costs, lost profits, and negative publicity (102).
In light of the increasing level of workplace violence, employers must take measures aimed at preventing violence in the workplace. Creating an effective workplace violence policy is part of a sound security program. Workplace violence policy must include written policies, physical measures, employee training and a workplace violence crisis plan, including post-incident measures. Security and safety issues with respect to workplace violence are increasing in importance for workplace security managers. The growing threat of terrorism has now increased the possibility of workplace violence. Despite this fact, very few organizations have adopted a sound workplace violence strategy at the present time.
For this reason the following research deals with the phenomenon of workplace violence in order to demonstrate the need for employers to have a sound workplace violence prevention policy in place that is multifaceted....