CF TB 08/08/96 Homicide X Characteristics ------------------------------------------------------------------------ FATAL WORK INJURIES Fact Sheet AND WORK HAZARDS CFOI 96-2 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ U.S. Department of Labor Office of Safety, Health Bureau of Labor Statistics and Working Conditions August 1996 (202) 606-6175 JOB-RELATED HOMICIDES PROFILED Homicide accounted for one out of every six of the 6,210 fatal work injuries that occurred in 1995, following only highway fatalities as a leading cause of job-related death, according to the annual BLS Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI). This fact sheet summarizes the characteristics of the 1,024 victims of job-related homicide, the occupations and industries in which they worked, and circumstances surrounding the incident. (See accompanying table.) While three times as many male workers were murdered as female workers, homicide was the leading cause of job-related fatality for women, accounting for nearly half their fatal work injuries. And homicides of female workers went up by about one third from 1994, while homicides of male workers went down by about one-eighth. Because of their occupations, homicide was also the leading cause of job-related death for the self-employed and various minority groups, such as blacks, Asian and Pacific Islanders, and Hispanics. Most of the workplace homicides appear to result from robberies or robbery-attempts. Typically these robberies involved store personnel, gas station attendants, or taxicab drivers being shot for cash receipts. But several workers were killed during carjackings, muggings, and robberies of goods or services, such as a tankful of gas or a taxi fare. One-seventh of the job-related homicide victims were police officers and security guards killed in the line of duty; one-eighth were victims of the Oklahoma City bombing of a federal building (including some police officers). One tenth of the workplace homicide victims were killed by a current or former work associate, almost double the number from the previous year. And several workers, primarily women, were killed as a result of domestic disputes that filtered into the workplace. Firearm- related homicides dropped almost 20 percent in 1995 from the previous year, but still accounted for three-quarters of the job-related homicides. Explosives were involved in one-eighth of the workplace homicides. Half the victims of workplace homicide worked in either a sales occupation (such as sales clerk, retail store owner, or cashier) or a service-related occupation (such as police officer, security guard, or food preparer). Taxicab drivers and various management-related occupations also reported high numbers of job-related homicides. Although job-related homicides in retail trade dropped by 21 percent from the previous year, they still accounted for 41 percent of all workplace homicides in 1995. Homicides in convenience and other grocery stores, eating and drinking places, and gasoline service stations predominated among retail establishments. Government workers accounted for one-fifth of the homicide victims, twice as many as the previous year because of the Oklahoma City bombing of a federal building. Table B. Job-related homicides by selected characteristics, 1995 Number Percent -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Total 1,024 100 Employee status --------------- Wage and salary workers 817 80 Self-employed 207 20 Gender ------ Men 780 76 Women 244 24 Age --- 18 to 19 years 25 2 20 to 24 years 69 7 25 to 34 years 262 26 35 to 44 years 255 25 45 to 54 years 213 21 55 to 64 years 125 12 65 years and over 64 6 Other or unspecified 11 1 Race ---- White 666 65 Black 208 20 Asian or Pacific Islander 90 9 Other or unspecified 60 6 Hispanic origin --------------- Hispanic 128 13 Circumstance or alleged perpetrator ----------------------------------- Robberies and other crimes 727 71 Work associates 113 11 Coworker, former coworker 88 9 Customer, client 25 2 Police killed in the line of duty 81 8 Security guard killed in the line of duty 59 6 Personal acquaintance 44 4 Husband, ex-husband 14 1 Boyfriend, ex-boyfriend 11 1 Wife, ex-wife, girlfriend, ex-girlfriend 4 -- Other relative 10 1 Other acquaintance 5 -- Event ----- Shooting 754 74 Stabbing 67 7 Hitting, kicking, beating 44 4 Other, including bombing 159 16 Occupation ---------- Managerial and professional specialty occupations 199 19 Executive, administrative, managerial occupations 161 16 Administrators and officials, public administration 19 2 Managers, food serving and lodging places 46 4 Professional specialty 38 4 Technical, sales, and administrative support jobs 374 37 Sales occupations 298 29 Supervisors and proprietors, sales occupations 133 13 Sales workers, retail and personal services 156 15 Sales workers, other commodities 23 2 Cashiers 107 10 Administrative support occupations, including clerical 63 6 Service occupations 212 21 Protective service occupations 142 14 Police and detectives, including supervisors 81 8 Guards, including supervisors 59 6 Service occupations, except protective and household 67 7 Food preparation and service occupations 42 4 Farming, forestry, and fishing occupations 20 2 Precision production, craft, and repair occupations 40 4 Mechanics and repairers 16 2 Operators, fabricators, and laborers 160 16 Transportation and material moving occupations 115 11 Motor vehicle operators 112 11 Truck drivers 24 2 Taxicab drivers and chauffeurs 69 7 Handlers, equipment cleaners, helpers, and laborers 31 3 Military 9 1 Other or unspecified 10 1 Industry -------- Private industry 813 79 Agriculture, forestry, and fishing 19 2 Construction 15 1 Manufacturing 44 4 Transportation and public utilities 97 9 Local and interurban passenger transit 72 7 Taxicabs 68 7 Wholesale trade 25 2 Retail trade 416 41 Food stores 159 16 Grocery stores 150 15 Automotive dealers and service stations 51 5 Gasoline service stations 36 4 Apparel and accessory stores 16 2 Eating and drinking places 119 12 Eating places 61 6 Drinking places 33 3 Miscellaneous retail 48 5 Liquor stores 17 2 Finance, insurance, and real estate 53 5 Depository institutions 24 2 Federal credit unions 18 2 Real estate 24 2 Real estate operators and lessors 16 2 Services 137 13 Personal services 17 2 Business services 39 4 Miscellaneous business services 32 3 Detective and armored car services 26 3 Auto repair, services, and parking 20 2 Other or unspecified 7 1 Government 211 21 Federal 109 11 State 17 2 Local 83 8 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- NOTE: Dashes indicate less than 0.5 percent. Totals for major categories may include subcategories not shown separately. Percentages may not add to totals because of rounding. SOURCE: U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, 1995