Employee injuries and convenience store robberies in selected metropolitan areas

Ability of crime, demographic and business data to forecast areas of increased violence

Identifying geographic areas and time periods of increased violence is of considerable importance in prevention planning. This study compared the performance of multiple data sources to prospectively forecast areas of increased interpersonal violence. We used 2011-2014 data from a large metropolitan county on interpersonal violence (homicide, assault, rape and robbery) and forecasted violence at the level of census block-groups and over a one-month moving time window. Inputs to a Random Forest model included historical crime records from the police department, demographic data from the US Census Bureau, and administrative data on licensed businesses. Among 279 block groups, a model utilizing all data sources was found to prospectively improve the identification of the top 5% most violent block-group months (positive predictive value = 52.1%; negative predictive value = 97.5%; sensitivity = 43.4%; specificity = 98.2%). Predictive modelling with simple inputs can help communities more efficiently focus violence prevention resources geographically.

Convenient Victims - A Research Note

During 1993-1996, the Massachusetts Executive Office of Public Safety participated in a national study of convenience store robbery. In order to understand victim perceptions and actions during these crimes, personal semi-structured interviews were conducted during with 20 employees robbed in Boston. Most subjects were owners or managers, and tended to be entrenched in the convenience store industry. The inter view instrument contained over 80 items, and solicited a range of infor mation on the criminal event, as well as post-victimization experiences.

Non-robbery-related occupational homicides in the retail industry, 2003-2008

BACKGROUND

The purpose of this study was to examine non-robbery-related occupational homicides in the retail industry from 2003 to 2008.

METHODS

Data were abstracted from the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries. Motive (robbery- or non-robbery-related) and workplace violence (WPV) typology (Type I-IV) were assigned using narrative text fields. Non-robbery-related homicide rates were calculated and compared among WPV types, demographic characteristics, and occupation.

RESULTS

Twenty-eight percent of homicides that occurred in the retail industry were non-robbery-related. The leading event associated with non-robbery-related homicides was Type II (perpetrated by customers) (34%), followed by Type IV (perpetrated by personal relationship) (31%). The majority of homicides were due to arguments (50%). Security guards and workers in drinking establishments had the highest homicide rates per 100,000 workers (14.3 and 6.0, respectively).

CONCLUSIONS

Non-robbery-related homicides comprised a meaningful proportion of workplace homicides in the retail industry. Research is needed to develop strategies to prevent non-robbery-related homicides specifically.

Trends in workplace homicides in the U.S., 1993-2002: a decade of decline

BACKGROUND

Trends in workplace homicide rates are compared to the trends in U.S. homicides from 1993 to 2002, inclusively. The homogeneity of workplace homicide rates by victim demographics, circumstances, and types of events are also addressed.

METHODS

Using publicly available data from several sources, Poisson models are used to statistically compare the trends of workplace homicide rates versus U.S. homicide rates and to compare trends within categories of workplace homicides.

RESULTS

Overall, there was a significant decline in the rates of occupational homicide of approximately 6% per year during the study time period; this decline was found to be statistically greater than the decline of all U.S. homicides (5% per year). Taxi cab drivers and chauffeurs demonstrated the greatest decline of all occupational subgroups. When looking at the circumstances of workplace homicides, only the rate of homicides committed during a robbery or other crime demonstrated a significant decline.

CONCLUSIONS

While workplace homicides have declined in the U.S., the declines have not occurred uniformly across demographic and occupational categories.

Compliance to a Workplace Violence Prevention Program in small businesses

BACKGROUND

Robberies are the leading motive for work-related homicide and assault. Interventions to reduce robberies and related injuries have been limited to convenience stores, and evaluations have not addressed compliance as a factor in program effectiveness.

SETTING/PARTICIPANTS

A total of 314 intervention and 96 control businesses were included in this intervention evaluation.

INTERVENTION

The Workplace Violence Prevention Program provided a customized robbery and violence prevention program to a stratified random sample of 314 small, high-risk businesses in Los Angeles City. An additional 96 comparison businesses did not receive the intervention. The intervention included individualized consultation, printed materials, training brochures, and a video. Interventions were conducted from August 1997 through August 2000.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

For both intervention and comparison businesses, a comprehensive security program assessment was conducted at baseline and at 3- and 12-month follow-up visits. Crime rates in intervention and comparison businesses were examined for 12 months pre- and post-intervention with the use of police reports.

RESULTS

By the second follow-up visit, compliance to the intervention program was significant for each program component. Employee training was the most frequently implemented intervention component. Neighborhood crime level, primary language spoken by the business owner, and the number of employees were all related to compliance. Although crime rates generally increased for all businesses from the pre- to post-intervention periods, businesses with high compliance to the program experienced a decrease in overall violent crime and robbery.

CONCLUSIONS

Participating businesses were willing to voluntarily implement components of the intervention program, and greater implementation was related to reductions in robbery and violent crime.

Effectiveness of crime prevention through environmental design (CPTED) in reducing robberies

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this study was to determine the effectiveness of the Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) approach in reducing robberies.

METHODS

CPTED evaluations were obtained through a comprehensive search mechanism. Two sets of inclusion criteria were used: 16 primary studies evaluated a CPTED program with a comparison period; 12 secondary studies presented some evidence of CPTED effects but were not required to have the same level of scientific rigor. The percentage change in pre- and post-intervention events was the outcome examined. Studies were stratified by programs implementing multiple components, a single component, and through ordinances.

MAIN RESULTS

All primary multiple-component CPTED programs experienced a percentage change in robberies ranging from -84% to -30%. Single-component program effects ranged from -83% to +91%, and ordinances ranged from -65% to +130%. Secondary studies reported robbery changes ranging between -92% and +7.6%. Robbery reductions were larger for interventions comprising basic store design, cash control, and training components compared to those including equipment systems. No associations were found between robbery decreases and either the follow-up period or the number of program components. Studies examining nonfatal injuries found a median pre-post change of -61%; those examining homicides found changes ranging from 0% to +11%.

CONCLUSIONS

The broad nature of the CPTED approach allows its adaptation to any setting, and results indicate that it is an effective approach to reducing robbery. However, most interventions were not evaluated independently of other factors contributing to robbery risk. More research is needed on individual components and effects in various business settings.

Fatal occupational injuries among electric power company workers

Surveillance data suggest high rates of electrocutions and fatal falls among workers in electric utility companies, who may be exposed to electric current, heights, flammable agents, and frequent motor vehicle travel. To characterize the occurrence of fatal injuries among electric utility workers, we studied workers in five electric power companies in the United States. A cohort of 127,129 men hired between 1950 and 1986 was followed through 1988. Injuries at work were identified through manual review of death certificates. The occurrence of occupational injuries was analyzed with directly adjusted rates and Poisson regression. The overall rate of fatal occupational injuries was 13.20 per 100,000 person-years (n = 192), with 76% due to electric current, homicide, and falls from heights. Deaths were concentrated in a few groups with elevated injury rates, notably linemen (rate ratio (RR) 3.33), electricians (RR 2.79), and painters (RR 3.27). Occupations requiring daily work on elevations or frequent, direct contact with energized electrical equipment experienced markedly higher rates of fatal injury from falls and electrocutions with rate ratios of 21.8 (95% confidence interval (CI) 11.4-41.5) and 16.7 (95% CI 6.6-42.6), respectively, independent of worker age and seniority. Although fatal injury rates in this industry have declined in recent decades, significant numbers of deaths still occur. Based on the premise that all injuries are preventable, a need for continued vigilance and efforts at prevention is indicated.

Convenience store robberies in selected metropolitan areas. Risk factors for employee injury

Circumstances of injury were abstracted from police reports for 1835 convenience store robberies that occurred during 1992 or 1993 in selected metropolitan areas of seven eastern states. Subset analyses were performed using the data (758 robberies) from four states with relatively complete risk factor information. The purpose of this study was to estimate the risk of injury in a robbery situation for various risk factors. The overall risk of employee robbery-related injury could not be estimated because the probability of robbery is unknown. Of the 1835 robberies, 59% of the total robberies occurred at nighttime (9 p.m. to 3 a.m.), 47% occurred in stores previously robbed in the study period, 63% involved the use of a firearm, and 12% were associated with an injury to at least one employee. In the subset analysis of 758 robberies in four states, the employee probability of injury in a robbery was lower with firearm use compared with no weapon or use of a blunt instrument, and the probability of severe injury (defined as death, or an injury necessitating a trip to a hospital) was lower with a firearm compared with the use of a blunt instrument. However, all five fatalities were firearm-related. Other factors that were associated with a lower probability of employee injury included robbery occurrence in stores that had been robbed multiple times, compared with stores robbed only once; having 1 to 999 dollars stolen, compared with having no money stolen; and the presence of a customer(s) in the store at the time of the robbery. The employee risk of injury was not significantly different between one- (0.106) and multiple-employee (0.111) stores. Similarly, the employee risk of severe injury was not significantly different between one- (0.029) and multiple-employee stores (0.022). We conclude that there are several potential risk factors for employee injury in convenience store robberies, some of which are amenable to interventions. Further research on these factors and their relationship to employee injury is indicated.