Occupational violence
Occupational violence is a physical attack or threat to an employee or group of employees that creates a risk to health and safety. It includes aggression and challenging behaviours and can be categorised as client-initiated and external or intrusive occupational violence.
Risk factors
Client-initiated occupational violence involves a person in the care of an organisation or someone seeking a service. This can occur in industries such as hospitality, health, disability, education, emergency services, police, prisons and welfare and community services.
The key risks include:
- providing care to people who are in distress, afraid, ill or incarcerated
- people who feel anger, resentment, feelings of failure or unreasonable expectations of what an organisation or worker can provide them
- carrying (or having access to) drugs
- handling cash or valuables.
External or intrusive occupational violence can occur when a person has no connection to a workplace and their main object is to obtain cash or other valuables. This can occur in industries such as retail, security, finance and cash handling, transport and hospitality.
The key risks include:
- working alone or in an isolated area
- having few workers on site
- working at night
- communicating face to face with customers
- working where money, drugs or valuables are kept.
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