Workplace violence down 75 pct. since '93

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WASHINGTON, March 31 (UPI) -- Workplace violence fell 75 percent from 1993 to 2009, affecting law enforcement officers, security guards and bartenders the most, U.S. officials say.

Erika Harrell, a statistician at the Justice Department Bureau of Justice Statistics, says workplace violence dropped from 2.1 million non-fatal violent crimes in 1993 to 572,000 non-fatal violent crimes in 2009. Non-fatal violent crimes are defined as rape, robbery or assault.

The number of workplace homicides decreased by 51 percent, from a high of 1,068 homicides in 1993 to 521 homicides in 2009, Harrell says. Eighty percent of workplace homicides were shootings.

Males had a higher rate of workplace violence. Non-Hispanic whites had a higher rate of workplace violence than non-Hispanic blacks and people ages 20-34 had the highest rate of workplace violence.

Strangers committed about 53 percent of non-fatal workplace violence against males and about 41 percent against females. From 2005 to 2009, 38 percent of workplace homicide offenders were robbers, 32 percent were other assailants, 21 percent were work associates and 8 percent were spouses, relatives and other personal acquaintances.

The report, Workplace Violence, 1993-2009, (NCJ 233231), is at http://www.bjs.gov.