How often these injuries happen
OSHA recorded 1,009 severe cases involving physical assault over the last decade. These incidents most frequently result in gunshot wounds, which account for 23% of all reported injuries in this category.
Because these events involve direct physical force, the resulting injuries are frequently severe and require extensive medical intervention.
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Workplace violence stems from interactions with people who pose a risk to your safety. Criminal assailants are the primary source of these injuries, accounting for 31% of all reported incidents. These events often occur when employers fail to implement adequate security measures or safety protocols for staff interacting with the public, patients, or potentially volatile individuals.
| Injury Type | Incidents | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gunshot wounds | 226 |
| 2 | Fractures | 198 |
| 3 | Intracranial Injuries | 147 |
| 4 | Cuts, lacerations, punctures without injury to internal structures | 132 |
| 5 | Traumatic injuries or exposures— unspecified | 85 |
| 6 | Severe wounds or internal injuries and other injuries | 29 |
| 7 | Amputations, avulsions, enucleations | 25 |
| 8 | Injuries to internal organs and major blood vessels | 23 |
Where injuries happen most
Health care leads all sectors with 27% of these severe incidents. You face unique risks when providing direct patient care, especially when facilities lack sufficient staffing or DE-escalation training to manage aggressive behavior.
Real cases like yours
These incidents often follow a pattern where verbal disagreements escalate into physical violence without warning. Whether involving a patient in a medical setting, a customer in a retail store, or a conflict with a CO-worker, the common thread is a failure to protect you from foreseeable harm. If any of these scenarios sound like what happened to you, an attorney can help you review the specifics.
| Year | State | Industry | Incident summary | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | PA | Manufacturing | "The injured employee was working from the cab of the debarker when a former employee approached. There was an argument and the former employee struck the injured employee in the head. The injured employee ended up on the ground as the former employee continued to hit him. The injured employee was bleeding from his head, had internal bleeding, and sustained a concussion." | |
| 2025 | AL | Manufacturing | "Two employees engaged in a verbal altercation. The injured employee was punched in the face and fell, hitting their head on the concrete floor. The employee sustained a brain bleed and blunt force trauma to the face." | |
| 2025 | MO | Health Care | "An employee was on the phone with his supervisor when a patient walked up and punched him. The employee was knocked to the floor and the patient kicked him multiple times causing injuries to his head, left cheek, left eye, mouth, and right hand. The employee sustained a traumatic brain injury/concussion and a left periorbital edema." | |
| 2025 | MA | Professional Services | "An employee had just completed a repair at a customer's store and was leaving via the main entrance. A suspected shoplifter ran by (while being chased by the police) and shoved the employee into a shelving unit. The employee suffered a broken elbow and a chin laceration and was hospitalized, requiring surgery." | |
| 2025 | GA | Health Care | "An employee was providing care to patients when another patient attempted to enter the room and attacked the employee. She was kicked, punched, and thrown to the ground. The employee sustained a concussion and was knocked unconscious. The employee was hospitalized for injuries that included a broken collar bone, broken ribs, and a punctured lung." | |
| 2025 | TX | Health Care | "An employee was working to redirect a patient back to their bed when the patient punched the right side of the employee's head/eye area with a closed fist. The employee sustained a subarachnoid hemorrhage." | |
| 2025 | FL | Accommodation & Food Services | "A housekeeper was cleaning inside a room. She was attacked by another person and suffered injuries to facial bones and the head." | |
| 2025 | NJ | Health Care | "An employee was struck by a patient in the chest and fell to the floor, with the patient falling onto them. The employee suffered a head injury." | |
| 2025 | GA | Health Care | "An employee was providing a therapeutic escort for an agitated patient. The patient began fighting and bit off the employee's fingertip, resulting in a fingertip amputation." | |
| 2025 | WV | Health Care | "An employee was getting up off a couch as a client was aggressive. The client kicked the employee, causing him to fall over the arm of the couch and land on the floor. The employee was hospitalized with a fractured left hip." |
Source: OSHA Severe Injury Reports. Narratives are verbatim from filings; identifying details may have been redacted by OSHA.