Crime Prevention
Your Practical Guide To Crime Prevention Business and Retail
Personal safety at work
Violence in the workplace covers a wide range of behaviour, from threats and verbal abuse to intimidation and physical assault. It may also include sexual or racial harassment. It can be carried out by customers, suppliers or colleagues.
Your employer has a legal duty to protect you from violence and abuse while you are at work and should have a policy for dealing with the risk of violence to staff.
You can help to reduce your personal risk by planning strategies to deal with difficult situations before they happen.
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Check which aspects of your organisation's policy on preventing work-related violence are relevant to you and your work.
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Make sure you know which procedures to follow if a violent incident happens.
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Be aware of risk factors and the possible causes of violence arising from the work you are doing
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If you work alone, or away from your workplace, try to make sure someone knows where you are going and when you expect to come back.
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You may feel safer carrying a mobile phone, personal alarm or pager.
If you find yourself in a situation that could turn violent:
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try to stay calm;
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be aware of your own body language and the other person's;
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try to keep a safe distance and avoid physical contact if possible;
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if you are cannot calm the situation down, call for help or look for opportunities to move away; and
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report all incidents to your employer
For more information:
Ask your union representative for more information.
Contact the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), which publishes guidance for employers on how to prevent and control violence at work. (HSE and local authority inspectors are also responsible for inspecting and enforcing health and safety in workplaces).
Phone the HSE information line on: 08701 545500 or visit the HSE website.
Last update: 16/09/03