Work-Related Violence

There is no doubt that work-related violence is a very real problem. Figures from the British Crime Survey estimate there were 655,000 incidents of violence experienced by workers in England and Wales in 2004/05.

HSE defines work-related violence as "any incident in which a person is abused, threatened or assaulted in circumstances relating to their work". Verbal abuse and threats are the most common types of incident, with physical attacks being comparatively rare.

HSL has carried out a number of research projects relating to work-related violence. In one project our Work Psychologists developed 19 case studies demonstrating how different organisations prevent and manage the risks of violence to their lone and mobile workers. The case studies were developed from the high-risk sectors including the security and protective services, public transport, nurses and other health professionals.

Questionnaires and semi-structured interviews were used to obtain information on the background of the participating organisations, the key risks of violence to their lone workers, the types of violent incidents experienced, the measures (successful and less successful) used by the organisation to prevent and manage those risks, and, where possible, the cost-effectiveness of the measures. Case studies developed represented small, medium and large organisations across England, Scotland and Wales.

• All the organisations in the study had some sort of personal safety or violence prevention training. The key training messages included advising staff to not go into a situation if they felt at risk, conflict resolution or defusing techniques, being aware at all times, and advising staff to leave a situation if they felt threatened;
• Communication and sharing information with the police and colleagues were thought to be essential. It was considered particularly important for the lone worker to notify someone of their location when lone working;
• Risk assessments, including dynamic assessments whilst out working, were thought to be vital
• Support from management for the violence prevention measures was considered crucial;
• Mobile phones or other communication devices were popular, as was the provision of a personal attack alarm;
• Changes to the work environment such as the use of panic alarms in buildings and CCTV were considered helpful for some;
• Doubling up (using two people for a job in high risk situations), good recruitment and selection procedures and withdrawal of service or other sanctions were also considered helpful.

Some of the benefits of having the violence prevention and management measures reported by organisations included: improved staff confidence in dealing with violence, staff feeling safe and supported by their organisations and a reduction in violent incidents.

These case studies can be found on HSE's website: http://www.hse.gov.uk/violence/loneworkers.htm.

  Case Study - Work-Related Violence: Taxi Drivers
  HSE Website - Information on Work-Related Violence

Effective management of violence in licensed and retail premises

HSL is currently working with HSE and Westminster City Council to develop a good practice toolkit to help licensed and retail premises effectively manage the risk of crime and violence. Violence and crime are topics of concern in these sectors, and many duty holders are unsure how to control the risk effectively. HSL has carried out semi-structured interviews and focus groups with over 30 stakeholders, and conducted a comprehensive review of the literature. Based on this large data set, we are currently working with Westminister City Council, HSE and other partners to produce comprehensive guidance.

Further Details
Contact our Business Development Unit by telephone (+44) 01298 218218, fax (+44) 01298 218822 or email hslinfo@hsl.gov.uk.


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