THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, July 9, 1996 TAG: 9607090219
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: D1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS
DATELINE: WASHINGTON LENGTH: 55 lines
Cab driver Mukhtar Ahmad has been robbed twice - once at gunpoint, one at knifepoint. So he wasn't surprised by a government report that taxi drivers are among the most likely victims of workplace violence.
``It's a very, very dangerous job sometimes,'' said Ahmad, a three-year Washington cabbie.``There are some crazy people we pick up.''
When you think of workplace violence, a postal employee wielding a semi-automatic pistol may jump to mind. But the reality is much different. The most likely to be killed are cab drivers, and most victims work in retail, according to a study released Monday.
Each week, an average of 20 workers are murdered and 18,000 are assaulted, the study says.
``Usually the phrase `workplace violence' creates a vision of a worker going off the deep end and assaulting or killing his or her co-workers or supervisor. That is not the most typical cause,'' said Fred Blosser, a spokesman for the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, which produced the study.
The authors hope their effort will get people thinking about violence in the workplace and will encourage employers to protect their workers.
That might mean improving lighting, changing cash-handling procedures, increasing late-night staff, escorting workers to cars or giving them better training, said senior scientist Lynn Jenkins, who wrote the report.
Among the study's other findings:
Of the 1,071 workplace homicides in 1994, 56 percent of the victims worked in retailing or other service industries. In specific job areas, 179 were retail supervisors or proprietors and 105 were cashiers.
Most homicides stem from robberies. Seventy-three percent of workplace homicides in 1993 were robbery-related. That compares to just 9 percent of all homicides.
Most victims do not know their attackers. Unlike in the general population, where 47 percent of victims knew their assailants, most workplace victims are strangers.
Statistically, driving a cab is the most risky job, with 86 taxi drivers killed in 1994, according to the study.
Resinder Singh, who has been driving cabs for four years, said he will not drive to high-crime sections of Washington, even though it is against the law to refuse to take someone to particularly bad neighborhoods.
``I would prefer to have a $200 ticket than go in that area,'' he said. ``I don't care.'' ILLUSTRATION: Graphic
PERILOUS PROFESSIONS
Source: National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
KEYWORDS: DANGEROUS JOBS by CNB