Editor’s note: FM Perspectives are industry op-eds. This piece was originally posted by sister publication EHSLeaders, which is hosting a webinar on workplace violence prevention on Dec. 8. Free registration is available here.
Twenty-year-old Amber Czech, a welder at a manufacturing facility in Cokato, Minn., was recently killed at work. According to charges filed by the Wright County Attorney’s Office, she was targeted and murdered during her shift by a man she knew. The violence was swift, calculated, and left a workplace—and an entire community—shattered.
Her death wasn’t an “incident.” It wasn’t “random.” It wasn’t a “one-off.”
It was workplace violence.
And it is happening far more than most people want to admit.
As safety professionals, we talk about lockout/tagout, fall protection, confined space, and PPE compliance, but violence? Especially violence against women? We treat that like an uncomfortable footnote instead of a primary risk.
It’s time that changes.
The Risk Is Real, and Women Are Carrying a Different Burden
Workplace violence is now the second leading cause of occupational death for women in the United States, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. And when the perpetrator is a co-worker, patient, or client, women are disproportionately the target.
A few numbers worth repeating:
- Women account for 70%+ of all non-fatal workplace violence injuries, largely in healthcare, education, and customer-facing roles.
- Women working in healthcare are five times more likely to experience workplace assault than other industries.
- Women working alone, working after-hours, or working in male-dominated fields face significantly higher rates of intimidation, harassment, and assault.
These numbers are not “sensationalized.” They are government-reported data, and the reality behind them is far worse because so many incidents go unreported.
And yet, many workplace violence programs still do not include gender-specific risks, stalking considerations, patterns of escalation, or basic training on identifying high-risk behaviors.
This Hit Me Personally
The death of a woman like Amber hits particularly hard, because I know what it feels like to be in a room with a man twice my size, angry, unpredictable, and blocking the only exit.
It happened to me five years ago.
A male employee who was furious that I denied him a forklift license cornered me in my own office. Inches from my face. Shouting. Red-faced. I remember thinking:
This is how it happens. This is how women end up on the news.
Two coworkers intervened just in time. But the aftermath stayed with me long after the office was quiet again. Every day until I left that job, my nervous system was on high alert. The sound of footsteps in the hall. Someone raising their voice. A door closing too loudly.
That hyper-vigilance is the unspoken reality for millions of women.
Women who have been grabbed. Cornered. Threatened. Followed. Yelled at. Intimidated. Touched without consent. Or simply made to feel unsafe when all they were doing was trying to do their jobs.
We don’t talk about that reality enough. But we need to.
Women Aren’t ‘Overreacting,’ They Are Responding to Real Risk
The narrative that women “overreact” or are “too cautious” is not only dismissive, it’s dangerous, because:
Women assess risk differently because we experience risk differently.
When a female welder is the only woman on her crew…
When a female engineer is traveling alone…
When a female safety professional is walking into a disciplinary meeting with an angry employee…
She is already running risk scenarios in her head.
Not because she’s paranoid. But because she’s prepared.
Workplace violence programs that ignore the gendered nature of violence fail half the workforce. And safety professionals who believe “it won’t happen here” are missing the biggest red flag of all:
Workplace violence rarely looks dangerous until it is.
Active Shooters and Targeted Violence: A Growing Reality for All Workers
It’s not just gender-based violence. We’re also facing:
- Increased active shooter events in workplaces
- Domestic violence spilling into the workplace
- Targeted violence from terminated employees
- Stalking situations that follow women to their jobsite
- Violence in remote, rural, or isolated work locations
In 2024, workplace shootings increased again. And yet, many workplaces still rely on outdated training, unmonitored entrances, weak reporting structures, or zero understanding of behavioral red flags.
When violence enters the workplace, it is not a “safety issue,” it is a catastrophic failure of risk assessment, planning, culture, and accountability.
Stop Treating Workplace Violence Like a Moral Issue, and Start Treating It Like a Safety Issue
Too often, violence is viewed through the lens of HR or law enforcement instead of safety.
But workplace violence is:
✔ A hazard
✔ A predictable pattern
✔ A leadership responsibility
✔ A safety culture indicator
And most importantly…
It is not an acceptable cost of doing business.
Workplaces need:
- Real threat assessment protocols
- Training beyond “Run. Hide. Fight.”
- Clear reporting and intervention processes
- Protection for women facing domestic violence threats
- Policies for lone workers and isolated workers
- Designated safe rooms and rapid-response plans
- Zero-tolerance for intimidation, harassment, and retaliation
Women shouldn’t have to choose between doing their jobs and staying alive.
A Final Truth We Need to Say Out Loud
Most women already know what Amber likely felt in her final moments:
That sudden, instinctive recognition of danger.
And here’s the part that should unsettle every safety leader:
Most women you work with are already waiting for something to happen.
Waiting for the coworker who gives them a bad feeling to snap.
Waiting for the patient to escalate.
Waiting for the man who keeps showing up in the parking lot.
Waiting for the comment, the shove, the threat, the shift in tone.
Waiting for someone to take their concerns seriously.
Women live in a state of controlled vigilance, because reality has taught them they must.
If we want to honor Amber Czech’s life, we must do more than mourn her death. We must transform the way we assess, plan for, and prevent workplace violence, especially for women.
Because women aren’t asking for special treatment. They are asking to stay alive.
Visit https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/violence/about/index.html to learn more.
Amy Roosa is founder and CEO of The Safety Rack.