An urgent call to address work-related psychosocial hazards and improve worker well-being.

Work-related psychosocial hazards are on the verge of surpassing many other occupational hazards in their contribution to ill-health, injury, disability, direct and indirect costs, and impact on business and national productivity. The risks associated with exposure to psychosocial hazards at work are compounded by the increasing background prevalence of mental health disorders in the working-age population. The extensive and cumulative impacts of these exposures represent an alarming public health problem that merits immediate, increased attention.

Trends in workplace homicides in the U.S., 1994-2021: An end to years of decline.

Workplace and non-workplace homicides in the United States (U.S.) have declined for over 30 years until recently.

Occupational injuries and illnesses among law enforcement officers, 2001-2019: Findings from the Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation.

Background: Occupational injuries are common among law enforcement officers (LEOs) and can impact an agency's ability to serve communities. Workers' compensation (WC) data are an underutilized source for occupational injury surveillance in the law enforcement field.

Methods: LEOs WC claims from the Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation (OHBWC) from 2001 to 2019 were identified based on manual review of the occupation title and injury description.

Occurrences of Workplace Violence Related to the COVID-19 Pandemic, United States, March 2020 to August 2021.

As businesses dealt with an increasingly anxious public during the COVID-19 pandemic and were frequently tasked with enforcing various COVID-19 prevention policies such as mask mandates, workplace violence and harassment (WPV) emerged as an increasing important issue affecting worker safety and health. Publicly available media reports were searched for WPV events related to the COVID-19 pandemic that occurred during 1 March 2020, and 31 August 2021, using Google News aggregator services scans with data abstraction and verification. The search found 408 unique WPV events related to COVID-19.

Workplace violence during the COVID-19 pandemic: March-October, 2020, United States.

Problem: COVID-19 has impacted United States workers and workplaces in multiple ways including workplace violence events (WVEs). This analysis scanned online media sources to identify and describe the characteristics of WVEs related to COVID-19 occurring in the United States during the early phases of the pandemic.

Method: Publicly available online media reports were searched for COVID-19-related WVEs during March 1-October 31, 2020.

Working hours, sleep, and fatigue in the public safety sector: A scoping review of the research.

Background: The public safety sector includes law enforcement officers (LEO), corrections officers (CO), firefighter service (FF), wildland firefighting (WFF), and emergency medical services (EMS), as defined in the National Occupational Research Agenda (NORA) of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). Across these occupations, shiftwork, long-duration shifts, and excessive overtime are common. Our objective was to identify research gaps related to working hours, sleep, and fatigue among these workers.

Resistance-Related Injuries Among Law Enforcement Officers: Addressing the Empirical Gap.

Introduction: Officers can be unintentionally injured during officer-suspect interactions, and these injuries are often not coded as assaults. This article defines and enumerates injuries that officers sustain while chasing, detaining, arresting, or pursuing suspects. These are termed resistance-related injuries.

Nonphysical Workplace Violence in a State-Based Cohort of Education Workers.

Background: The purpose of this study was to estimate the prevalence, identify risk factors, and assess the impact of nonphysical workplace violence (WPV) events among education workers (teachers, professionals, and support personnel).

Methods: A cross-sectional survey was mailed to a random sample of 6450 education workers, stratified by sex, occupation, and school location in Pennsylvania. Multivariable logistic regression was performed to assess risk factors.

Workers' compensation claims for traumatic brain injuries among private employers-Ohio, 2001-2011.

Background: The purpose of this analysis was to identify and prioritize high-risk industry groups for traumatic brain injury (TBI) prevention efforts.

Methods: Workers with TBI from 2001 to 2011 were identified from the Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation data. To prioritize industry groups by claim type (lost-time (≥8 days away from work) and total claims) and injury event categories, we used a prevention index (PI) that averaged TBI counts and rate ranks (PI = (count rank + rate rank)/2).

The impact of a crash prevention program in a large law enforcement agency.

Background: Motor vehicle crashes (MVCs) remain a leading cause of death for US law enforcement officers. One large agency implemented a crash prevention program with standard operating policy changes, increased training, and a marketing campaign. This was a scientific evaluation of that crash prevention program.

Drug overdose deaths at work, 2011-2016.

Drug overdose fatalities have risen sharply and the impact on US workplaces has not been described. This paper describes US workplace overdose deaths between 2011 and 2016. Drug overdose deaths were identified from the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries and fatality rates calculated using denominators from the Current Population Survey.

Nonfatal Injuries to Firefighters Treated in U.S. Emergency Departments, 2003-2014.

Introduction: Several studies of nonfatal firefighter injuries have been conducted but are limited by the inclusion criteria used and coverage. The aim of this study was to enhance current knowledge by providing national estimates of nonfatal injuries to firefighters treated in U.S.

Nonfatal Injuries to Law Enforcement Officers: A Rise in Assaults.

Introduction: Limited studies exist that describe nonfatal work-related injuries to law enforcement officers. The aim of this study is to provide national estimates and trends of nonfatal injuries to law enforcement officers from 2003 through 2014.

Methods: Nonfatal injuries were obtained from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System-Occupational Supplement.

Characteristics of officer-involved vehicle collisions in California.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine the situational and individual officer characteristics of officer-involved vehicle collisions that result in fatality, injury, and non-injury outcomes.

Design/methodology/approach: Data on 35,840 vehicle collisions involving law enforcement officers in California occurring between January 2000 and December 2009 are examined. A descriptive analysis of collision characteristics is presented.

Fatal traumatic brain injuries in the construction industry, 2003-2010.

Background: Research on fatal work-related traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) is limited. This study describes fatal TBIs in the US construction industry.

Methods: Fatal TBIs were extracted from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries.

Research in Brief: Motor Vehicle Safety for Law Enforcement Officers-Still a Priority.

The IACP Research Advisory Committee is proud to offer the monthly Research in Brief column. This column features evidence-based research summaries that highlight actionable recommendations for magazine readers to consider within their own agencies. The goal of the column is to feature research that is innovative, credible, and relevant to a diverse law enforcement audience.

Law enforcement officers' risk perceptions toward on-duty motor-vehicle events.

Purpose: Motor-vehicle-related events (MVEs) are the leading cause of on-duty death for law enforcement officers, yet little is known about how officers view this significant job hazard. The purpose of this paper is to explore officers' motor-vehicle risk perception and examine how prior on-duty MVEs and the death or injury of a fellow officer influences this perception.

Design/methodology/approach: A state-wide random sample of 136 law enforcement agencies was drawn using publically accessible databases, stratified on type and size of agency.