Workplace Assaults

Physical and verbal assaults happen to postal workers on the workroom floor, at the counter, and on the route — from a customer confrontation that turns physical, to an altercation with a coworker, to a robbery or threat during a shift. The Postal Service's own workplace violence reporting shows assault and threat incidents are a persistent category of on-the-job injury, and the psychological impact often outlasts any physical injury by a wide margin.

What this typically looks like

• A physical altercation with a customer, coworker, or member of the public while on duty
• A robbery, attempted robbery, or armed threat during a shift
• Verbal threats of violence that felt credible and immediate, even without physical contact
• Being physically restrained, cornered, or unable to leave a threatening situation
• Witnessing a violent incident involving a coworker on the workroom floor or route

How it shows up after the fact

• Hypervigilance at work — scanning the counter, the door, or the truck for threats that aren't there
• A startle response to raised voices, sudden movement, or someone approaching quickly
• Avoidance of the specific location, route, or shift where it happened
• Difficulty returning to the same building, station, or counter without significant distress
• Sleep disruption, intrusive memories, or a persistent sense that the workplace isn't safe

What the research actually supports

Workplace violence is a recognized and well-studied trauma category, and the clinical and occupational safety literature is consistent that assault — whether physical or a credible threat — is one of the more direct pathways to PTSD among all workplace trauma exposures, comparable in severity to other single-event traumas. OSHA and NIOSH both treat workplace violence as an occupational hazard in its own right, not simply a personnel matter. In our evaluations, both physical assault and a serious, credible threat are treated as legitimate trauma exposures — the absence of a physical injury doesn't mean the absence of psychological harm.

Treatment through our practice

Depending on your symptoms, a workplace assault most often supports a PTSD or Circumstantial Traumatic Stress Response evaluation. Once a condition is accepted, ongoing telehealth counseling with a state-licensed counselor is billed directly through OWCP.

Sources

Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), workplace violence guidance; National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), occupational violence research; National Center for PTSD, trauma exposure and workplace violence literature.