Violence in the workplace is any incident where a worker is abused, threatened or assaulted while working.
Workers can be verbally abused, threatened and even assaulted as they carry out their normal work.
According to the HSE in 2017/2018 there were 694,000 incidents of violence at work.
Certain occupations and types of work are more associated with an increased risk of violence than others, including:
– Cash handling
– Lone Working
– Authority figures such as Police, Traffic Wardens or those wearing a uniform
– Dealing with people under stress
– Dealing with people under the influence of drugs, alcohol etc.
– Workers who have to give warnings, penalties, fines etc.
The first step in managing the risk of work-related violence is to find out the exact nature of the problem. This can be achieved by:
– Collecting and analysing incident reports
– Interviewing staff formally & informally
– Staff surveys
It will then be possible to identify and implement the right control measures to prevent violence from occurring in the workplace.
Control measures may include:
– A zero-tolerance policy
– Security staff
– CCTV cameras
– Security doors between public and staff areas
– Minimising queues and waiting time
– Training for staff in how to diffuse certain situations
– Screens between staff and the public
– Panic alarms
– Creating a pleasant work environment
The above control measures is by no means an exhaustive list, but should hopefully get you thinking about the control measures that your business can put in place to improve the safety of your staff.
If you would like to discuss how we can help you improve this element of your business, then please get in touch with us now.