Employer policies toward guns and the risk of homicide in the workplace

Am J Public Health. 2005 May;95(5):830-2. doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2003.033535.

Abstract

This population-based case-control study of North Carolina workplaces evaluated the hypothesis that employers' policies allowing firearms in the workplace may increase workers' risk of homicide. Workplaces where guns were permitted were about 5 times as likely to experience a homicide as those where all weapons were prohibited (adjusted odds ratio=4.81; 95% confidence interval=1.70, 13.65). The association remained after adjustment for other risk factors. The findings suggest that policies allowing guns in the workplace might increase workers' risk of homicide.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Case-Control Studies
  • Confidence Intervals
  • Firearms*
  • Homicide / statistics & numerical data*
  • Humans
  • North Carolina
  • Risk Factors
  • Workplace / legislation & jurisprudence*