Between the drop of water we have used in our metaphor and the wide ocean, certain nuances are necessary when it comes to demystifying the phenomenon of workplace violence in terms of its magnitude and its numerous effects. On a global scale, the media picks up on workplace massacres carried out by individuals who are in crisis. Violence, however, is not restricted only to single events of such a highly symbolic nature, brought about by people undergoing serious psychological distress. It is important to go beyond this view which is sustained by the media and examine the real statistics on workplace violence. For example, homicide only accounts for a very small percentage of violence in the workplace.

In many countries around the world, acts of violence do not come under applicable laws relating to occupational health and safety. These acts therefore are not required to be reported as work accidents. When they are reported, it is only in the case of death or situations involving extreme violence such as assault with a weapon causing bodily harm. Threats of assault, scuffles between employees and vandalism are not always reported to the police or other authorities outside of the organizations where the events take place. There is usually no procedure in place for reporting violence in the workplace. The hidden face of such workplace violence, therefore, suggests that the data available represent only the tip of the iceberg.

International Data :

• In the United States, between 1980 and 1990, homicide was the third leading cause of death in the workplace, or the cause of 12% of all deaths in the workplace. It became the second leading cause of death in the workplace as of 1994, with an increase of 16% of all deaths. In 1996, 20 workers per week were murdered in the United States.
•  Homicides (at work and outside of work) per 100,000 people in 1994:
  a) United States: 8.95
  b) Australia: 4.88
  c) Canada: 2.04
  d) England: 1.41.
• In France, in 1988, acts of violence against public transportation employees increased respectively by 12% for the Régie autonome des transports parisiens (Paris transit commission) (2,000 assaults per year) and 34% for the Société nationale des chemins de fer (national railway company).
• In England, damages awarded to employees who were victims of discriminatory harassment in the workplace in 2002 rose by 38% compared with the previous year.

Data for Canada :

• For the 15-29 year-old age group, 1221 acts of violence were listed among work accidents resulting in lost time (at least one work day lost due to the accident), or 25.9% of all lost-time work accidents.

Data for Quebec :

• 2,000 claims per year were accepted for physical and psychological injuries attributable to workplace violence between 1990 and 2000.
• In 1998, 70% of accepted injuries attributable to workplace violence were of a physical nature.
• Between 1990 and 1998, the average length of time that compensation was paid out for psychological injuries rose from 89.7 days to 127.5 days.
• Between 1990 and 2000, in Quebec, 18,898 claims were made for (psychological and physical) injuries attributable to workplace violence, and the total amount paid out for these claims, accepted with income replacement benefit, came to $55,480,481.