Employee and Customer Injury During Violent Crimes in Retail and Service Businesses

Corinne Peek-Asa; Carri Casteel; Jess F Kraus; Paul Whitten

doi:10.2105/AJPH.2005.071365

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Employee and Customer Injury During Violent Crimes in Retail and Service Businesses

Journal article

Open access

Peer reviewed

Employee and Customer Injury During Violent Crimes in Retail and Service Businesses

Corinne Peek-Asa, Carri Casteel, Jess F Kraus and Paul Whitten

American journal of public health (1971), Vol.96(10), pp.1867-1872

10/2006

DOI: 10.2105/AJPH.2005.071365

PMCID: PMC1586124

PMID: 17008585

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Abstract

Objectives. We sought to compare the frequency and risk factors for employees and customers injured during crimes in retail (convenience, grocery, and liquor stores) and service businesses (bars, restaurants, motels). Methods. A total of 827 retail and service businesses in Los Angeles were randomly selected. Police crime reports (n=2029) from violent crimes that occurred in these businesses from January 1996 through June 2001 were individually reviewed to determine whether a customer or an employee was injured and to collect study variables. Results. A customer injury was 31% more likely (95% confidence interval [CI]=1.11, 1.51) than an employee injury during a violent crime. Customer injury was more frequent than employee injury during violent crimes in bars, restaurants, convenience stores, and motels but less likely in grocery or liquor stores. Injury risk was increased for both employees and customers when resisting the perpetrator and when the perpetrator was suspected of using alcohol. Customers had an increased risk for injury during crimes that occurred outside (relative risk [RR]=2.01; 95% CI=1.57, 2.58) and at night (RR=1.79; 95% CI=1.40, 2.29). Conclusions. Security programs should be designed to protect customers as well as employees.

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Details

Title: Subtitle: Employee and Customer Injury During Violent Crimes in Retail and Service Businesses
Creators: Corinne Peek-Asa - Corinne Peek-Asa and Paul Whitten are with the Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, Injury Prevention Research Center, College of Public Health, University of Iowa, Iowa City. Carri Casteel is with the Department of Epidemiology and the Injury Prevention Research Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Jess Kraus is with the Department of Epidemiology and the Southern California Injury Prevention Research Center, University of California, Los Angeles
Carri Casteel - Corinne Peek-Asa and Paul Whitten are with the Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, Injury Prevention Research Center, College of Public Health, University of Iowa, Iowa City. Carri Casteel is with the Department of Epidemiology and the Injury Prevention Research Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Jess Kraus is with the Department of Epidemiology and the Southern California Injury Prevention Research Center, University of California, Los Angeles
Jess F Kraus - Corinne Peek-Asa and Paul Whitten are with the Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, Injury Prevention Research Center, College of Public Health, University of Iowa, Iowa City. Carri Casteel is with the Department of Epidemiology and the Injury Prevention Research Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Jess Kraus is with the Department of Epidemiology and the Southern California Injury Prevention Research Center, University of California, Los Angeles
Paul Whitten - Corinne Peek-Asa and Paul Whitten are with the Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, Injury Prevention Research Center, College of Public Health, University of Iowa, Iowa City. Carri Casteel is with the Department of Epidemiology and the Injury Prevention Research Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Jess Kraus is with the Department of Epidemiology and the Southern California Injury Prevention Research Center, University of California, Los Angeles
Resource Type: Journal article
Publication Details: American journal of public health (1971), Vol.96(10), pp.1867-1872
DOI: 10.2105/AJPH.2005.071365
PMID: 17008585
PMCID: PMC1586124
NLM abbreviation: Am J Public Health
ISSN: 0090-0036
eISSN: 1541-0048
Publisher: American Journal of Public Health 2006
Language: English
Date published: 10/2006
Academic Unit: Occupational and Environmental Health; Epidemiology; Nursing; Injury Prevention Research Center; Public Policy Center (Archive)
Record Identifier: 9984214855002771

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