Las Vegas businesses vary from one industry to the next, but when it comes to preventing workplace violence, all companies must be on the same page. Workplace violence is defined as any act or threat harassment, intimidation or threatening behavior, according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). 

The harassment details may differ, but issues generally stem from disagreements among co-workers.

"It's more about power than it is about sex," Malani Kotchka, a Las-Vegas based lawyer told Vegas Inc. "Because it's about power in the workplace, it can happen in any workplace – and it does."

Workers are less likely to place a report because the nature of these comments are a part of the work environment. Harassment can come from a person's manager, client or customer in Las Vegas.

OSHA receives about 2 million work violence-related reports each year, according to the company website, but the organization also explained that many more situations are unreported. This is because workplace violence can happen anywhere, anytime.

In Las Vegas' case, it is unsure how many workplace violence incidents occur every year because many complaints are settled before the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) gets involved. Claims settled before getting attention from the EEOC are not accounted for.

Law firms in the Las Vegas area take these issues seriously. Patrick Hicks, an attorney at Littler Mendelson, has 18 individuals working on these sort of cases.

"You may have a customer who has had too much to drink, he's not winning at the tables, or he just gets a little flirtatious and a little overaggressive," Hicks told the source. "There are opportunities for it to come up more often. Is it more common in the industry? Maybe. But I can think of other industries where it's just as common." 

Companies should have a clear outline of what employees can do to ensure workplace violence prevention. Consultants can help businesses create a plan that works for all staff members.