How often these injuries happen
OSHA recorded 20 severe cases of stabbing, cutting, or slashing by other people. These incidents most frequently result in cuts, lacerations, and punctures, which account for 75 percent of all reported cases.
The severity of these attacks is significant, as 25 percent of incidents involve damage to internal organs and major blood vessels.
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These injuries typically occur during verbal arguments or physical altercations involving CO-workers, customers, or unknown assailants. CO-workers or work associates are the primary source of these incidents, appearing in 35 percent of reports. Whether you face a dispute over job tasks or an unprovoked attack in a parking lot, these events often involve the use of knives or pocket tools to inflict serious harm.
| Injury Type | Incidents | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cuts, lacerations, punctures without injury to internal structures | 15 |
| 2 | Injuries to internal organs and major blood vessels | 5 |
Where injuries happen most
Retail Trade accounts for 35 percent of these incidents, as you may frequently interact with the public in high-stress environments. Accommodation and Food Services also see elevated risks, where interpersonal conflicts between staff or with customers can escalate into physical violence. Employers in these industries are responsible for implementing security measures and DE-escalation training to protect you.
Real cases like yours
Common patterns in these incidents include sudden physical attacks following verbal disputes or unprovoked assaults by individuals in workplace parking lots. These reports highlight how quickly a disagreement or a chance encounter can turn into a life-threatening injury requiring hospitalization. If any of these scenarios sound like what happened to you, an attorney can help you evaluate your claim.
| Year | State | Industry | Incident summary | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | IL | Wholesale Trade | "The injured employee was told to get the rotisseries and then a verbal argument with a co-worker occurred. The injured employee walked out to get her jacket, and as soon as she came back, the co-worker stabbed her neck and shoulder area with a knife. She sustained injury to her diaphragm that required surgery." | |
| 2025 | TX | Other Services | "An employee came in early to use the air compressor to add air to one of his car's tires. While he was walking across the parking lot, the injured employee noticed a man sitting in the parking lot. The unidentified man rushed the injured employee and stabbed him three times in the back with a knife." | |
| 2025 | OK | Transportation & Warehousing | "A bus agency manager was getting a passenger to leave a bus. As the passenger was walking to exit the bus, he stabbed the manager in the stomach with a knife." | |
| 2025 | IL | Accommodation & Food Services | "The injured employee had been conducting food service activities. He was stabbed twice in the chest and three times in the back by another employee using a pocket knife. The employee was hospitalized." | |
| 2025 | MS | Health Care | "An employee was walking through the parking lot when a former employee attacked them and stabbed them in the abdomen with a knife. The employee was hospitalized. " | |
| 2025 | CO | Public Administration | "A resident at the shelter assaulted an employee with a machete. The employee was hospitalized with lacerations to their whole body." | |
| 2025 | OK | Accommodation & Food Services | "A person wandered through a restaurant into the kitchen area. While being escorted to the front doors by two employees, the person pulled out a sharp object and stabbed one of the employees in the lower abdomen. The employee was hospitalized." | |
| 2025 | NY | Retail Trade | "An employee was engaged in a disagreement with a customer when they stabbed the employee in the abdomen with a knife." | |
| 2024 | PA | Retail Trade | "An employee was acting in a loss prevention capacity when they were stabbed in the abdomen with a knife by an individual. The employee sustained multiple stab wounds, one of which punctured his lung. Part of the knife broke off in his body, requiring surgery." | |
| 2024 | GA | Transportation & Warehousing | "Employees were ending their shift and dropping off trucks. Two employees returned to the yard and had an altercation. One employee used a knife to stab the other employee in the neck. The employee was hospitalized." |
Source: OSHA Severe Injury Reports. Narratives are verbatim from filings; identifying details may have been redacted by OSHA.