Another six million were threatened, and 16 million were harassed. An American Management survey of 500 companies noted that more than 60 percent of reported incidents of workplace violence involved threats or harassment. Verbal abuse, in fact, is one of the most common preliminaries to workplace violence. The United States Bureau of Labor statistics revealed that there were 22,400 workplace attacks in 1992 in which the individual survived but was seriously injured. Almost half of the attacks involved hitting, kicking, or beating.
Economic costs can be an unknown burden with regard to workplace violence.
Murder in the workplace is one of the fastest growing types of homicide in the United States. In 1993, the Centers for Disease Control declared workplace violence a serious health problem. The United States Department of Labor reported that 1,216 lives were lost as a result of workplace violence in 1992. Guns were the weapon of choice and were used in 75 percent of the fatalities. These two areas counted for 54 percent of workplace violence during an eight year study period.