Protecting your staff from violence and aggression
Recently reported in the news, as part of a government response to a wave of retail crime, assaulting a shop worker will be made a separate criminal offence in England and Wales.
Earlier this year a report found that violent and abusive incidents against shop workers rose by 50% in 2022-23.
Violence and aggressive behaviour towards staff is not limited to shop workers and can affect anyone in the workplace.
What impact does this have on staff:
If they are subject to violence and aggressive behaviour the impact could include:
Loss of confidence and being withdrawn
Lead to harm to their physical and mental health
Suffer from stress, depression and anxiety
Result in an increase of sickness absence
May increase the likelihood of them leaving their job
What do you need to have in place:
The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 places a legal duty for employers to so far as reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare of workers which will include protecting them from work-related violence.
You must ensure that you carry out a Risk Assessment and consider control measures for the following:
Vulnerable workers
Lone working
Security measures
Training / de-escalation techniques
Additional information can be found at the following:
Violence and aggression at work - HSE
Advice for workers on violence in the workplace (hse.gov.uk)
For more support on Managing violence and aggression in the workplace, contact our team.