Workplaces at risk of violence by strangers commonly include late night retail establishments and taxi cabs. Violence by Customers or Clients Involves verbal threats, threatening behavior or physical assaults by an assailant who either receives services from or in under the custodial supervision of the affected workplace or the victim. Assailants can be current or former customers and clients such as passengers, patients, students, inmates, criminal suspects or prisoners. The workers typically provide direct services to the public, for example, municipal bus or railway drivers, health care and social service providers, teachers and sales personnel. Law enforcement personnel are also at risk of assault from individuals over whom they exert custodial supervision.
Any workplace can be at risk of violence by a co-worker.
In committing a threat or assault, the individual may be seeking revenge for what is perceived as unfair treatment. Fatalities related to violence by co-workers have received much media attention, but account for only a small portion of all workplace violence related fatalities. Violence by Personal Relations Involves verbal threats, threatening behavior or physical assaults by an assailant who, in the workplace, confronts an individual with whom he or she has or had a personal relationship outside of work. Personal relations include a current or former spouse, lover, relative, friend or acquaintance. The assailant's actions are motivated by perceived difficulties in the relationship or by psycho-social factors that are specific to the assailant.