According to the latest US Bureau of Labor Statistics study on fatal occupational injuries‚ the leading cause of workplace deaths is “falls to a lower level”‚ followed by "roadway collisions with other vehicles".
Surprisingly, homicide is the third leading cause of workplace death.
But what turns co-workers murderous? Writing about the study‚ The Atlantic said news reports pointed to doomed love triangles and disgruntled colleagues – yet another cause was largely overlooked: fraud.
"Imagine a boss who kills his assistant to keep a Ponzi scheme afloat‚ or a crooked accountant who poisons an especially thorough auditor. In the world of CFEs [certified fraud examiners]‚ these offences have their own‚ pulpy label: red-collar crime‚” it wrote.
In South Africa‚ there's no way to know how many workers kill their colleagues because the annual crime statistics released by the police do not break down the reasons for murder.
