Workplace violence is often misunderstood as a rare, extreme event. In reality, it is a broad, behavioral risk that shows up in everyday interactions across nearly every industry. Organizations that focus on only the most visible scenarios often overlook the more common warning signs that precede these incidents.
The Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries Summary, 2024 – 2024 A01 Results reports that workplace violence accounts for nearly 14% of all fatal work-related injuries in the United States, making it one of the leading causes of occupational death across industries.
Workplace violence generally falls into four categories. Each presents different risks, behaviors, and impacts, and each requires a tailored approach to prevention, response, and recovery.
Category 1: Violence by strangers
This category involves individuals with no legitimate relationship to the organization. It includes robbery, vandalism, theft, or physical violence driven by criminal intent. Nearly half of all non-fatal workplace violence incidents are perpetrated by individuals unknown to the victim. These incidents often receive the most attention because they are highly visible and disruptive.
However, focusing solely on physical threats can cause organizations to miss early indicators that escalate into emergencies.
“Workplace violence is not only from a physical encounter but also the verbal encounters and the non-verbal cues you can observe.” – David Blacksberg, Senior Consultant specializing in business continuity.
Stranger-related violence is more common in public-facing environments such as retail, healthcare, transportation, and facilities with limited access controls. Prevention typically includes physical security, environmental design, access management, and clear emergency response procedures, but those measures alone are not sufficient.
Category 2: Violence by customers, clients, or patients
Customer and client aggression is one of the most frequent forms of workplace violence. It often begins with frustration, stress, unmet expectations, or emotionally charged circumstances.
“When people are in pain or in emergency circumstances, it can test their reserves, and emotions can escalate into conflict and violence.” – Kerri Greene, Principal Consultant specializing in environmental, health, and safety (EHS).
Roles that handle complaints, provide direct services, or work at reception points face elevated exposure and require specialized training. Over 60% of customer/client-related incidents occur in the healthcare sector.
Organizations frequently underestimate this category by treating all roles the same. However, job-specific risk assessments are critical. A call center agent, front-desk staff member, and back-office employee experience very different risks, and their training and procedures must reflect that reality.
Category 3: Violence by coworkers
Workplace violence does not always come from external sources. Non-physical forms such as verbal abuse or psychological harassment are widespread and can originate internally through intimidation, threats, harassment, or unresolved conflict between employees. In fact, 83% of employees report experiencing or witnessing some form of workplace violence (physical, verbal, or psychological).
“The risks here lie in the failure to acknowledge that there is risk and to understand warning signs.” – David Blacksberg
When early behaviors are dismissed or reporting pathways are unclear, organizations unintentionally allow those risks to grow. This category is closely tied to organizational culture. Prevention requires clear expectations, consistent reporting processes, leadership accountability, and timely intervention. Without these elements, internal conflict can escalate into serious incidents.
Category 4: Violence related to domestic or personal relationships
This is one of the most overlooked categories of workplace violence. Because employees spend a significant portion of their time at work, personal or domestic conflicts often spill over into the workplace. A major survey run by the National Domestic Violence Hotline found that 21% of full‑time employees reported experiencing domestic or intimate partner violence, with 74% of those stating they experienced harassment at their workplace.
“Because we’re at work so many hours a day, people in personal relationships know where we are. A lot of domestic situations end up in the workplace.” – Kerri Greene
Organizations that exclude this risk from their planning leave employees vulnerable and unprepared.
Effective programs address this category through policy, training, support mechanisms, and coordination with security and emergency response teams.
Why the four categories matter
Treating workplace violence as a single risk leads to generic plans that do not reflect real exposure; not acknowledging the potential for this hazard may impact the lives of your teams and the reputation of your organization. Understanding the four categories allows organizations to conduct meaningful site-specific and job-specific risk assessments, which are increasingly required by law.
California’s Senate Bill (SB) 553, for example, mandates written workplace violence prevention plans, training, incident tracking, and employee involvement. Similar legislative efforts are emerging in other states, signaling a broader shift toward more rigorous prevention standards (read California SB 553: Next Phase of Workplace Violence Rules).
Beyond compliance, workplace violence has direct implications for business continuity. Incidents can disrupt operations, close facilities, impact staffing, and damage trust, while unaddressed incidents affect absenteeism, fear, performance, and customer confidence. Integrating prevention with emergency response and continuity planning helps organizations respond faster and recover more effectively.
Workplace violence prevention begins with understanding human behavior. Recognizing the four categories of workplace violence truly addresses real risks and builds programs that protect both people and operations.
