Violence at Work on the Decline

The number and incidence rate of violent incidents at work has declined over the last decade.

Findings from the 2013/14 Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW) show that:

• in 2013/14 there were 4,936 RIDDOR reports of injuries to employees involving acts of violence in Great Britain (one fatality, 866 major or specified injuries, and 4,069 over-7-day injuries). 
• in 2013/14, the survey estimated 257, 000 adults of working age in employment experienced work-related violence including threats and physical assault.
• there were an estimated 583, 000 incidents of violence at work according to the 2013/14 CSEW, comprising 269, 000 assaults and 314,000 threats. This was lower than the estimated 656, 000 incidents in the 2012/13 survey but this change is not considered statistically significant;
• the 2013/14 CSEW estimated that 1.0% of women and 1.2% of men were victims of violence at work once or more during the year prior to their interview.
• it is estimated that 56% of victims reported one incident of work- related violence whilst 17% experienced two incidents and 27% experienced three or more incidents.
• strangers were the offenders in 56% of the reported incidents of workplace violence. Among the 44% of incidents where the offender was known, the offenders were most likely to be clients or a member of the public known through work.
• the survey found 72% per cent of violence at work resulted in no physical injury. Of the remaining 28% of cases, minor bruising or a black eye accounted for the majority of the injuries recorded.

RECOMMENDATIONS

• Conduct and record a risk assessment to identify the hazards associated with violence at work
• Ensure there are robust lone working procedures
• Provide awareness training to all staff on identifying and recognising the early signs of a potential challenging situation
• Ensure staff know what to do in any challenging situation

Further information on the violence at work can be found on the HSE website.

 Doyle Clayton can support your business with conducting risk assessments covering violence at work. Please contact Sally Beck for further information.