VIOLENCE AT WORK

Incidents of violence at work lead to 644 workers receiving major injuries, including broken bones, blinding and loss of consciousness, and a further 4,290 receiving injuries, which kept them away from their work for more than three days according to figures from the Health and Safety Executive report for the year to March 1999. The Criminal Compensation Authority deals with around 8,000 claims arising from workplace violence each year. The HSE guidance on workplace violence states, “the problem of violence is often associated with the main purpose of an organisation - providing a service to the public”: at the interface between service providers and their customers.

The Hazards - violence is a particular risk for those working in the public service sectors, in hospitals, schools and many other front line services: including Security Guards and in areas like banking and retail: representing authority; education; and delivery/collection. Those who work alone and those who handle cash or are responsible for other high value items can be particularly vulnerable. Violence can take many forms, from life threatening attacks to verbal abuse. The HSE defines violence as “any incident in which an employee is abused, threatened or assaulted by a member of the public in circumstances arising out of the course of his/her employment”. In addition to physical injury, the fear of violence can also cause considerable stress among workers.

The HSE suggests that some of the means of preventing or reducing workplace violence are: to list all jobs in which workers come into contact with the public and to identify those where there is a risk of violence; to ensure that all incidents are reported, analysed and acted upon; to consider a range of preventive measures for each problem area in conjunction with the employees in that area. To make sure that preventive measures are implemented and regularly monitored; to ensure that any employee who is the subject of a violent attack receives the appropriate support, counselling and compensation.

If there is a violent incident involving any employee, employers will need to respond quickly to avoid any long-term distress to employees. It is essential to plan how to supply victims with support, before any incidents. Employers should consider the following - Debriefing - victims will need to talk through their experiences as soon as possible after the event: remember that verbal abuse can be just as upsetting as a physical attack - Time off work - individuals will react differently and may need differing amounts of time to recover: in some circumstances they might need specialist counselling - Legal help - in serious cases legal help may be appropriate; and other employees - may need guidance and/or training to help them to react appropriately.

Although there is no specific legislation concerning the prevention of violence at work, the following define the appropriate guidance.

• The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974;
  
• The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations (1999);
  
• The Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1995;
  
• Safety Representatives and Safety Committee Regulations 1977;
  
• Health and Safety (Consultation with Employees) Regulations 1996; and
  
• Common Law.

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