Support individuals involved in violent incidents in the workplace

This standard is about supporting individuals involved in violent incidents. It includes your role in providing the appropriate support to those affected by violent incidents at work, including those who had to use physical intervention to reduce violence. The support should be consistent with statutory regulations, policies and procedures set by your organisation. It is about ensuring support is available immediately, as well as in the short and long term.

This standard is for anyone whose area of responsibility is in supporting individuals involved in violent incidents at work.

---

1. investigate the incidents of violence at work
2. maintain a calm, reassuring and impartial attitude with those involved in the incident
3. assess the needs of those affected by the incident
4. identify whether employees affected feel safe, reassured and comfortable to discuss the incident and disclose the events
5. check that all those affected have received appropriate assistance following the incident
6. seek advice from employees responsible for well-being, safety, health and continued support for those affected by the incident
7. agree and implement short-term and long-term arrangements including the type of support to enable recovery and return to normal duties
8. confirm time to return to work or any changes from normal duties
9. maintain the required levels of confidentiality and justify the reasons why information may have to be shared with relevant employees
10. provide information to those affected by incidents about their rights and procedures
11. record discussions and agree actions to assist further investigations in accordance with relevant legal requirements
12. follow up with those affected by the incident to identify the required support that is available
13. provide information about further support options and any relevant organisational procedures
14. agree options for future working arrangements with those involved and inform the senior employees
15. implement options for future working arrangements and communicate these with those requiring support
16. arrange the agreed referrals
17. arrange the required support for individuals involved in violent incidents
18. review the previous incidents and associated support with all relevant employees
19. involve your employees in reviewing the incident and contributing to organisational initiatives to reduce future incidents
20. record the findings to aid recommendations and action plans resulting from the investigation

---

1. the procedures for safeguarding confidentiality in accordance with data protection regulation
2. your legal duties for ensuring your and other employees’ well-being, safety and health in the workplace
3. the channels of communication within your organisation
4. the relevant procedures for reporting injuries, diseases, near misses and dangerous occurrences
5. the job roles and responsibilities of all employees for whom you are responsible
6. the employees most at risk and those with a specific responsibility for security
7. the methods of handling sensitive situations
8. the legal implications of an incident of violence at work
9. your organisation’s procedures in relation to dealing with incidents and strategies for handling violent situations
10. how to maintain calm, reassuring and impartial attitude whilst with people under stress
11. how to interpret non-verbal language for signs of distress and problems
12. how to discuss the incident in a respectful and confidential manner
13. the circumstances when the need may arise to share the information of the incident
14. the impact of violence on individuals and other people close to them
15. the importance of securing safety of the individuals concerned to discuss the events of the incidents
16. how to recognise and respond appropriately to an individual’s distress
17. when it is necessary to arrange time off work
18. the immediate, short, medium and long term impact of on-going investigation procedures
19. the circumstances when physical interventions, restraint and reasonable force are necessary
20. the relevant training for using the physical interventions, restraint and reasonable force
21. the legal and professional implications of physical interventions, restraint and reasonable force
22. the responsibilities following physical interventions, restraint and reasonable force
23. the ways of reducing risk of harm during physical interventions, restraint and reasonable force
24. the risk factors involved with utilising physical interventions, restraint and reasonable force
25. your organisation’s criteria for what constitutes unacceptable behaviour
26. the range of support options available to employees after an incident in the immediate, short and long term
27. how and when to make referrals
28. the importance of discussing suitable working arrangements after an incident
29. the importance of keeping accurate records of all discussions and reviews
30. the risk assessments which are appropriate to your work
31. the relevant legislation for health and safety at work
32. the legal responsibilities and your organisation’s policy and procedures

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

Aggressive behaviour
Any behaviour or actions aimed at harming a person or damaging physical property.

Aggressive communication
A style of communication in which individuals express their feelings and opinions and advocate for their needs in a way that violates the rights of others.

Conflict
A state of opposition and disagreement between two or more people or groups of people, which is sometimes characterised by verbal abuse, threatening behaviour or physical violence.

Conflict Management
The practice of identifying and handling conflict in a sensible, fair, and efficient manner. Conflict management requires such skills as effective communicating, problem solving, and negotiating with a focus on common interests and safeguarding all concerned.

Dynamic Risk Assessment
This is a continuous assessment of the risks faced in a situation as it unfolds to ensure the safest and most effective response is being employed.

Equipment
These could include equipment such as pagers, mobile phones, walkie-talkies, panic buttons, public address systems, etc.

Evaluation
The process of determining whether an item or activity meets specified criteria.
It can include comparing the adequacy of policies and procedures with current practice or professional standards to manage work-related violence.

Generic Risk Assessment
It is:

• an examination of the work and workplace activities to identify what could cause harm to people (a hazard); and
• an assessment of the chance, high or low, that somebody could be harmed by the hazards identified, together with an indication of how serious the harm could be (the risk).

On the basis of this assessment a decision is made as to what prevention or control measures should be taken to prevent the possibility of harm.

Physical Intervention
This should include personal safety techniques to reduce the impact of hazardous behaviours, protective stances, disengagement and breakaway techniques” (when responding to physically threatening behaviours or defending oneself or another) or “restraint techniques” (when physically restricting a person’s movement).

Positive Working Environment and Culture
A working environment and culture which does not tolerate any violent behaviour.

Procedures
A series of steps following in a regular definite order that implements a policy.

Precautionary Measures
These could include: protective barriers, protective clothing, security responses, working in pairs or teams instead of lone working, etc.

Responsible Person
A person named in the organisation’s procedures as having responsibility for incidents of violence at work.

Risk
A risk is the likelihood of potential harm from that hazard being realised.
The extent of the risk depends on:

• the likelihood of that harm occurring;
• the potential severity of that harm, i.e. of any resultant injury or adverse health effect; and
• the population which might be affected by the hazard, i.e. the number of people who might be exposed.

Source: HSE “Management of health and safety at work –Approved Code of Practice & Guidance”.

Safe Working Practices
Established safe methods of carrying out activities, procedures or techniques used in carrying out your job or work activities to deliver a service with levels of quality and efficiency required by the organisation.

Service Users
Examples are: school students, patients, clients, passengers, customers, detainees, the public, parents, volunteers and carers.

Triggers of Violence
Factors that might cause violence to occur. They can be categorised in four different types:

• temporary personal factors for example, the service-user being uncomfortable from a lack of food, warmth, light, or presenting challenging behaviour whilst under the influence of drink or drugs, or
• persistent personal factors such as deteriorating mental health, having a difficulty or disability, which prevents normal communication, movement or behaviour, or
• temporary environmental factors such as a hot, noisy, crowded room, poor work dynamics in terms of furniture layout, etc., or
• persistent environmental factors such as too much being expected of the service-user, or the quality of the service offered consistently failing to meet the required standards of the user.

Work-related Violence
The Health and Safety Executive’s definition of work-related violence is: “Any incident in which a person is abused, threatened or assaulted in circumstances relating to their work‟.

---

---

ACAS https://www.acas.org.uk/
Equality and Human Rights Commission http://www.equalityhumanrights.com/
Institute of Conflict Management https://instituteofconflict.management/
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) http://www.hse.gov.uk/
Trade Union Congress http://www.tuc.org.uk/
Victim Support www.victimsupport.org

---

1

---

2030

---

Current

---

Original

---

Instructus

---

CFAPMVW8

---

Managers and Senior Officials, Personnel, Training and Industrial Relations Managers , Trade Union Representatives and Professionals, Personnel and industrial relations officers

---

1135

---

Prevention; Management; Violence; Incidents; Work

---