Dying on the Job - by Ronald D Brown (Hardcover)

About the Book

Dying on the Job looks at the variety of reasons people take the lives of coworkers or themselves and offers explanations for their behavior. Some are pathological; others are simply stretched to limits they can't sustain. The author offers real stories throughout and ends wit...

Book Synopsis

Dying on the Job looks at the variety of reasons people take the lives of coworkers or themselves and offers explanations for their behavior. Some are pathological; others are simply stretched to limits they can't sustain. The author offers real stories throughout and ends with a consideration of trends, responses, and prevention strategies.

Review Quotes

A unique exploration of the growing epidemic of murder at work. Ronald Brown has crafted a highly readable and fascinating look at this unfathomable and shocking phenomenon. Written with historical perspective, statistics, factual accounts of numerous events and detailed analysis the reader gains not only insight into the genesis of the problem, but a better understanding of the underlying fears that often drive these assailants. While debunking the myths about workplace homicide and exposing the futility of some preventative policies and procedures, in the end Brown provides important preventative rules and recommendations that can make a difference. Timely and useful, this book is a must read for CEOs and their staff, HR executives, middle managers, safety and security professionals and anyone concerned about this abhorrent problem sweeping the nation.

Brown, a lawyer, has amassed a comprehensive body of research examining workplace homicides, claiming that his book is the "only study that focuses on murder exclusively between employees, over issues that were job-related." He traces a brief period from when workplace murders were virtually nonexistent to the present seemingly plague-like proportions. This scholarly work not only is rich in historical foundation but also utilizes a social-psychological overview to better understand and analyze the significance of the relationship between past events and more contemporary behaviors. The more than 350 case studies included in Brown's analysis provide insights on the motives and warning signs of workplace homicides. This volume has the uncommon but coveted feature of drawing the interest of diverse groups. It is almost addictive in its power to fascinate the reader, whether a scholar or concerned citizen. Brown's delivery of the material has a strong academic structure, yet the material and ideas are easy to follow. Concluding chapters provide advice on workplace safety and security, making this volume highly relevant, given current concerns about violence in the workplace and society. A valuable resource for any social sciences based college-level course, and nearly required reading in management related classes as well. Summing Up: Highly recommended.

Dying on the Job addresses the most critical work place problem in the US. Written in a style which is both accessible and graphic, it touches on all the relevant aspects of this worrisome matter. This is the best examination of violence, murder and mayhem at work that I have seen. Policy makers and all who are concerned about the workplace will do well to read this exhaustive discussion and to heed its recommendations. I recommend it highly.


Dying on the Job highlights an important problem all concerned with the state of American workers must confront.


Sadly, too many workplace killings take place. Ronald Brown's book, the first ever about this subject, shows the terrible number, the variety of circumstances and causes, and ways society could address this problem. Managers, HR professionals, and anyone who works in an office need this information.

This book is an important discussion of a frighteningly prevalent phenomenon, that of workplace homicide. It is a book all employers should read, as it provides information which can help them take steps to reduce the likelihood that an employee will be the victim of workplace homicide.


This is an excellent book; the first serious book-length study on work-place homicide. It contains valuable empirical information and useful suggestions for prevention.


With this fascinating book on workplace murder, Ronald Brown has filled a gaping hole in the literature on workplace violence, and he has done so with lively and accessible prose and a prosecutor's eye for detail. His 'closing argument' on the role of guns in the epidemic of workplace murders should provoke serious and much-needed debate on American gun culture and permissive gun laws.

About the Author

Ronald D. Brown served four years as an assistant U.S. attorney with the U.S. Department of Justice. After his tenure as a federal prosecutor, he spent the next decade in private law practice in Newark, during which he settled a $1 million medical malpractice suit, successfully argued a precedent-setting corporate case before the state's highest court, and tried more than one hundred criminal jury trials, including a dozen homicides. He studied labor law and alternative dispute resolution at New York University Law School and also studied labor and employment law at Columbia Law School, from which he earned an LLM in 2004. He has taught criminal law and lectured extensively on issues of criminal law and labor and employment law. He has served as a labor law advisor to the U.S. army and as a labor and employee specialist for the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Washington, D.C.