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Injuries, Illnesses, and Fatalities
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Workplace homicides
Homicides accounted for approximately 9 percent of all fatal occupational injuries in 2015. There were 417 workplace homicides in 2015, a slight increase from 2014 but down 12 percent from the 475 reported in 2012.
Workplace homicides are classified using the 2011 Occupational Injury and Illness Classification System (OIICS), version 2.01. More on OIICS 2.01 is at www.bls.gov/iif/definitions/occupational-injuries-and-illnesses-classification-manual.htm.
Eighty-five percent of workplace homicide victims in 2015 were men. Of the 417 workplace homicides in 2015, 356 were homicides to men and 61 were homicides to women. Homicides represented 18 percent of fatal occupational injuries to women in 2015 compared with 8 percent of fatal occupational injuries to men.
Occupation
First-line supervisors of retail sales workers (40 fatalities), cashiers (35 fatalities), police and sheriff's patrol officers (34 fatalities), and taxi drivers (27 fatalities) were the occupations with the greatest number of homicides in 2015.
Event or Exposure
Shootings accounted for 85 percent (354 fatalities) of all workplace homicides in 2015. Stabbing, cutting, slashing, and piercing incidents accounted for another 7 percent (28 fatalities) of all workplace homicides in 2015.
Primary Source
The most common type of assailant in workplace homicides in 2015 were robbers, responsible for 128 workplace homicides. Coworkers were the assailants in 50 workplace homicides and spouses or domestic partners were responsible for another 25 workplace homicides. The table below shows the most frequent types of assailants involved in workplace homicides from 2011-2015.
| Assailant type | Number of homicides |
|---|---|
All assailants | 2,173 |
Robber | 721 |
Other or unspecified assailant | 551 |
Co-worker or work associate | 312 |
Student, patient, client or customer | 247 |
Inmate, detainee in custody, or suspect not yet apprehended | 182 |
Relative or domestic partner | 160 |
Background Information
For technical information and definitions, please see the BLS Handbook of Methods at www.bls.gov/opub/hom/soii/home.htm.
You can obtain data from the Injuries, Illnesses, and Fatalities program by using the following tools: Create Customized Tables (Multiple Screens), Create Customized Tables (Single Screen), and the Online Profiles System. Additional tables and charts are on the IIF homepage and the IIF State page.
For more detailed information on workplace homicides, see the data table for workplace homicides.
Last Modified Date: August 31, 2017