Definitions
Workplace assault refers to physically violent acts targeted at people at work or on duty with the intention of hurting them (LeBlanc and Kelloway 2002).
Introduction
For teachers, nurses, police, and many others, “bites, cuts, bruises are part of the job” (“5 most violent workplaces in Nova Scotia” 2014). Although this potential hazard may have been considered for many years as an unpreventable aspect of their employment, employees and their employers are now seeking ways to prevent workplace assaults. This entry aims to define, describe, and explain workplace assault.
Definitions of workplace assault used in different jurisdictions, such as by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), includes threats of violent acts within the domain of workplace assault as well as physical violent acts themselves (Jenkins 1996). Some theorists have also suggested that assault can also be psychological or verbal (e.g., Gillespie et al. 2010); however, this view...
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References
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Schat, A., Frone, M. R., & Kelloway, E. K. (2006). Prevalence of workplace aggression in the U.S. workforce. In J. J. Hurrell, J. Barling, & E. K. Kelloway (Eds.), Handbook of workplace violence (pp. 47–89). Thousand Oaks: Sage.
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Future Readings
Jenkins, L. (1996). Violence in the workplace: Risk factors and prevention strategies. US Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Division of Safety Research.
Schat, A., Frone, M. R., & Kelloway, E. K. (2006). Prevalence of workplace aggression in the U.S. workforce. In J. J. Hurrell, J. Barling, & E. K. Kelloway (Eds.), Handbook of workplace violence (pp. 47–89). Thousand Oaks: Sage.
Wassell, J. T. (2009). Workplace violence intervention effectiveness: A systematic literature review. Safety Science, 47(8), 1049–1055.
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Gulseren, D.B., Kelloway, E.K. (2019). Workplace Violence: Assault. In: Shapiro, L., Maras, MH. (eds) Encyclopedia of Security and Emergency Management. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-69891-5_96-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-69891-5_96-1
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