How To Manage Violence And Aggression In The Workplace

Violence and aggression in the workplace is costly in human and financial terms. In Western Australia during 2005/6, assaults in the health and community services industries alone resulted in over 2.6 million dollars in workers’ compensation claims.

For businesses there are direct costs such as increased workers compensation premiums and replacement of staff, as well as indirect costs such as counselling for affected staff and time spent looking into incidents.

For the victims of violence and aggression there are personal costs such as stress and pain, which may also affect their family life. Reducing violence and aggression at work translates into savings for your business. For details on how to manage incidents of violence and aggression in the workplace, see the information from WorkSafe WA below:

• Train staff to identify possible violent situations and how to defuse them. Training can be offered at induction and as regular refreshers.
  
• Consider the layout of the workplace. For example, customer contact areas should be integrated into the internal layout so frontline staff are not in isolated situations with customers.
  
• Arrange adequate parking for staff working at night, with sufficient lighting and landscaping that does not provide hiding areas for potential attackers.
  
• Modify the work environment to reduce the risk to staff if a member of the public does become violent. A tall, wide reception desk will make it difficult for customers to climb over the bench or assault staff.
  
• As a last resort, to reduce hazards in high risk situations staff can also be provided with equipment such as mobile phones, personal alarms and panic buttons.
  
• Employ security personnel so staff are not working alone, especially at night, and to provide safe access to and from the workplace.
  
• Develop and implement procedures to help to identify risks and reduce the incidence of assault. For example, procedures on working alone and handling cash can reduce the risk associated with these tasks.
  
• Establish procedures to report occurrences of violence and aggression. You and your staff can look over previous incidents, ascertain the possible causes and implement changes to reduce the possibility of a recurrence.