BLS: Security guards at high risk of assaults, on-the-job deaths
Washington – Security guards are twice as likely to suffer fatal workplace injuries as workers in general, and their deaths are mostly caused by assaults or other violent acts, according to a new analysis (.pdf file) of data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The analysis determined that assaults were the cause of nearly two-thirds of all fatal occupational deaths among security guards. In 93 percent of these cases, the assailant typically was a customer, client or individual attempting a robbery.
The analysis also found that in 2009:
- 63 security guards died on the job.
- 8,920 security guards suffered an on-the-job injury requiring at least one day away from work.
- Most injuries occurred during the evening and overnight hours.
The analysis was published in the February issue of Monthly Labor Review, a BLS journal.
Post a comment to this article
Safety+Health welcomes comments that promote respectful dialogue. Please stay on topic. Comments that contain personal attacks, profanity or abusive language – or those aggressively promoting products or services – will be removed. We reserve the right to determine which comments violate our comment policy. (Anonymous comments are welcome; merely skip the “name” field in the comment box. An email address is required but will not be included with your comment.)