What Doctors Don't Tell YouWe all face hazards at work. In the UK, for instance, you might be a victim of repetitive strain injury (RSI) if you spend hours typing away, or perhaps you might suffer from sick-building syndrome. In the States you’re just as likely to be murdered.
Murder is now the second leading cause of death at work after road traffic accidents. Every week around 20 workers are killed while 18,000 are assaulted. Yes, that’s every week.
Ironically workers who carry a gun or a weapon are between three and seven times more likely to be murdered than workers in equivalent jobs where weapons are banned.
This phenomenon was discovered when researchers carried out a study of workplace murders in North Carolina. They discovered that workers who are allowed to carry weapons such as chemical sprays, bats, knives or guns were three times as likely to be murdered as those who worked in places that prohibited weapons, while workers who were allowed to carry firearms were seven times more likely to be murdered.
The most common locations for workplace murders were convenience stores, petrol stations, grocery stores, bars, nightclubs, restaurants and taxi services.
This reminds us of a time when we were in Moscow shortly after the fall of Communism. As we entered a restaurant we were bodily searched by the staff before being allowed in. Why the tight security, we asked. Just last week a diner had mown down the entire waiting staff with a sub-machine gun. In the UK, I replied, we usually just don’t leave a tip.
Daniel Redwood DC
Tom Ferguson MD
