How often these injuries happen
OSHA recorded 370 severe cases of workplace violence over the last decade. Fractures are the most common injury type, accounting for 32% of all incidents reported in this category.
These injuries often result in significant trauma. The physical and emotional toll of these events often requires extensive medical intervention and long-term recovery.
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Check My BenefitsHow these injuries happen
The vast majority of these injuries stem from direct physical aggression. Hitting, kicking, and beating by other persons account for 61% of all cases. These incidents often escalate from verbal arguments into physical altercations, leaving you vulnerable to blunt force trauma, fractures, and intracranial injuries.
| Cause | Incidents | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hitting, kicking, beating by other person | 225 |
| 2 | Violent acts by other person— unspecified | 106 |
| 3 | Shooting by other person | 8 |
| 4 | Contact with other person, nonviolent or intent unknown— n.e.c. | 7 |
| 5 | Stabbing, cutting, slashing by other person | 7 |
| 6 | Intentional violence by other person— n.e.c. | 6 |
| 7 | Struck by falling object | 3 |
| 8 | Contact with other person, equipment during sports or physical training | 3 |
Where injuries happen most
Manufacturing leads all sectors with 24% of reported violence cases. The high-pressure environment and constant interaction between employees in these facilities can create conditions where interpersonal conflicts escalate into physical violence.
Real cases like yours
Common patterns in these reports include verbal disputes that rapidly turn physical, often occurring in common areas or parking lots. Many incidents involve sudden, unprovoked attacks or escalations that catch you off guard. If any of these scenarios sound like what happened to you, an attorney can help you review the specifics of your case.
| 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 | 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 | 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 | AL | Manufacturing | "Two employees got into a physical altercation in the parking lot and one employee was shot. The injured employee was hospitalized with a gunshot wound to their lower extremity." | |
| 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 | LA | Manufacturing | "An employee was in a physical altercation with another employee and he was hospitalized with an orbital fracture and bleeding behind the eye." | |
| 2025 | FL | Retail Trade | "The injured employee was in the receiving area when a former associate entered the room and had a verbal altercation with the injured employee. The former associate fired a gun approximately four times, striking the injured employee once or twice. The injured employee was hospitalized with gunshot wounds to the arm and required surgery." | |
| 2025 | TX | Manufacturing | "An employee used a hammer to attack the injured employee, striking him several times on and about the head. The injured employee was hospitalized with lacerations to the head and bruising to the face." | |
| 2025 | AL | Wholesale Trade | "On April 29, 2025, at approximately 11:45 a.m., an employee shot another employee who was sitting at his desk in his office. The employee was hospitalized for a gunshot wound to the lower back. " |
Source: OSHA Severe Injury Reports. Narratives are verbatim from filings; identifying details may have been redacted by OSHA.