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Risk Factors for Violence that Could Lead to an Iowa Workers’ Comp Claim

Like slip and fall accidents and exposure to chemicals, violence in the workplace is another hazard that can lead to an Iowa Workers' Compensation claim. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there were about 1.7 million victims of violent crime in the workplace each year from 1993 to 1999.

The majority of those incidents were simple assaults and about 20% of the incidents were aggravated assaults.

Workers who tended to be victimized the most were: 

• police officers;
• corrections officers; and
• taxi drivers. 

From 1992 to 2006, there were 11,613 homicides in the workplace, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That's nearly 800 workplace homicides a year.

Risk Factors for Violence in the Workplace

Some of the common risk factors for workplace violence include jobs that involve: 

• public contact;
• exchange of money;
• delivery of goods, passengers or services;
• driving a vehicle such as a police cruiser or taxicab;

• working with people who are volatile or unstable in settings such as  healthcare, criminal justice or social services;
• working late or in the early morning;
• working in high-crime areas;
• guarding valuable possessions; and
• working in a community setting. 

If you have been a victim of workplace violence that has resulted in serious injury, you should speak with a Des Moines Workers' Compensation attorney for assistance in filing your Workers' Compensation claim. You attorney may be able to help you maximize your claim to take into the account the full extent of your injuries.

To learn more about common workplace hazards, visit our article library. 

Contacting a Des Moines Workers' Compensation Attorney

The Des Moines Workers' Compensation attorney team at Walker, Billingsley & Bair work hard to level the field between injured Iowans and insurance companies. That's why we provide this FREE book, Iowa Workers' Compensation - An Insider's Guide to Work Injuries: 7 Deadly Mistakes To Avoid If You Are Hurt At Work. To learn more about what our legal team will do to help you protect your Iowa work injury claim, contact Walker, Billingsley & Bair to schedule a no-cost consultation - 1-888-792-3595.