Violence in the workplace is a serious safety and health issue. Its most extreme form, homicide, is the fourth-leading cause of fatal occupational injury in the United States.

Most people think of violence as a physical assault. However, workplace violence is a much broader problem. It is any act in which a person is abused, threatened, intimidated or assaulted in his or her employment. Workplace violence includes:

• Threatening behavior - such as shaking fists, destroying property or throwing objects.
• Verbal or written threats - any expression of intent to inflict harm.
• Harassment - any behavior that demeans, embarrasses, humiliates, annoys, alarms or verbally abuses a person and that is known or would be expected to be unwelcome. This includes words, gestures, intimidation, bullying, or other inappropriate activities.
• Sexual Harassment – any behavior that is sexual in nature; innuendo, comments about body parts, threats of a sexual nature, offers of advancement in exchange for sexual favors
• Verbal abuse - swearing, insults or condescending language.
• Physical attacks - hitting, shoving, pushing or kicking.

Rumors, swearing, verbal abuse, pranks, arguments, property damage, vandalism, sabotage, pushing, theft, physical assaults, psychological trauma, anger-related incidents, rape, arson and murder are all examples of workplace violence.

Workplace violence is not limited to incidents that occur within a traditional workplace. Work-related violence can occur at off-site business-related functions (conferences, trade shows), at social events related to work, in clients' homes or away from work but resulting from work (for example, a threatening telephone call to your home from a client or co-worker).