How often these injuries happen
OSHA recorded 350 severe cases of workplace violence over the past decade. Gunshot wounds are the most frequent injury type, accounting for 46% of all reported incidents, often leading to catastrophic physical damage and long-term disability.
These incidents frequently result in intracranial injuries. Your recovery process is often complex, requiring extensive medical intervention and support for the lasting psychological and physical trauma caused by these violent encounters.
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Check My BenefitsHow these injuries happen
Hitting, kicking, or beating by another person is the primary cause of these injuries, accounting for 90% of all reported incidents. These events often occur suddenly, leaving you with little time to react or defend yourself. Whether through physical altercations or the use of weapons, these violent acts frequently occur during routine customer interactions or security interventions.
| Cause | Incidents | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hitting, kicking, beating by other person | 314 |
| 2 | Violent acts by other person— unspecified | 14 |
| 3 | Shooting by other person | 14 |
| 4 | Stabbing, cutting, slashing by other person | 6 |
| 5 | Intentional violence by other person— n.e.c. | 1 |
Where injuries happen most
Retail trade accounts for 43% of all severe workplace violence cases. You are frequently exposed to the public in this sector and often handle cash or high-value merchandise, which increases your risk of confrontations with individuals who may become violent.
Real cases like yours
Common patterns in these reports include you being attacked while performing routine tasks, such as leaving a store, working in a valet booth, or attempting to remove a disruptive person from the premises. These incidents often involve sudden, unprovoked aggression that leaves you with fractures, concussions, or internal injuries. If any of these scenarios sound like what happened to you, an attorney can help you.
| Year | State | Industry | Incident summary | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | 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 | IL | Retail Trade | "A security officer was following a suspected shoplifter who got into their SUV. The employee jumped onto the side footrail of the SUV when the suspect began to drive away. The employee stayed on the vehicle for several blocks until he jumped off. When the employee jumped off, he landed on his feet then fell to the ground hitting his head on the ground. The employee sustained dislocated left index finger, subdural hematoma/head injury, tibia/fibula fractures to the right leg which required surgical repair. " | |
| 2025 | FL | Retail Trade | "On June 24,2025, the injured employee had assisted another employee with removing a violent person from the premises. The person tried to get back into the store and started wrestling the employees. This caused the injured employee to trip and fall onto the pavement. The employee was hospitalized with a hematoma to their right hip." | |
| 2025 | IL | Arts & Entertainment | "An employee was working in the valet booth with the door locked when three individuals broke down the door. The individuals attacked and robbed him. The employee was hospitalized with a concussion, fractured facial bones, a bruised rib, and a bruised leg bone." | |
| 2025 | CO | Administrative Services | "An employee assisting with cleaning up broken glass when they were assaulted by an individual and sustained a fractured right arm." | |
| 2025 | LA | Other Services | "An employee and two volunteers were constructing a fence at a jobsite when they were victims of an armed robbery. The employee suffered bullet wounds to the his right forearm, left little and ring fingers, lower abdomen, chest, neck, and cheek, resulting in hospitalization and multiple surgeries. One of the volunteers also suffered gunshot injuries and was treated and released." | |
| 2025 | NY | Retail Trade | "An employee was on break in her car in the parking lot when an individual came out of a nearby store and began yelling at her. The employee was shot by this person three times in her torso/chest. The employee was hospitalized." | |
| 2025 | IL | Retail Trade | "On April 23, 2025, an employee was working behind the cash register when a store robbery occurred. The assailant grabbed the employee by the arm and threw them to the floor. The employee was hospitalized for a fractured hip." | |
| 2025 | TX | Administrative Services | "A security employee was stopping a fleeing suspect when he was thrown to the ground, striking his head and suffering a head injury." |
Source: OSHA Severe Injury Reports. Narratives are verbatim from filings; identifying details may have been redacted by OSHA.