Who is responsible for workplace violence?

Any employer or employee who actually carries out workplace violence is liable to be charged with assault under the criminal law. Assault is defined as “any act which intentionally or recklessly causes another person to apprehend immediate and unlawful violence.” (R v Venna (1976) QB 421 ).

What are the 4 types of workplace violence?

Types of Workplace Violence

• Type 1: Criminal Intent.
• Type 2: Customer/Client.
• Type 3: Worker-on-Worker.
• Type 4: Personal Relationship.

What is workplace violence called?

Workplace violence is any act or threat of physical violence, harassment, intimidation, or other threatening disruptive behavior that occurs at the work site. It ranges from threats and verbal abuse to physical assaults and even homicide. It can affect and involve employees, clients, customers and visitors.

Who commits the most workplace violence?

Customers or clients causing an injury at work Customers or clients are responsible for the most workplace violence incidents — about 40%. This group spans a wide range of people — current and former clients, patients, customers, passengers, criminal suspects, and inmates and prisoners.

How does workplace violence work in the health sector?

The tool will guide you through the complexity of issues to be considered when developing anti-violence policies and strategies for all work-settings in the health sector. These can be adapted to meet local and national needs and constraints.

Who is most at risk of violence at work?

Doctors, nurses and social workers are all high on the list of occupations with serious stress levels, while violence in the health sector constitutes almost a quarter of all violence at work. The enormous cost of work stress and violence at work for the individual, the workplace and the community at large is becoming more and more apparent.

What are the guidelines for addressing workplace violence?

The “Framework Guidelines for Addressing Workplace Violence in the Health Sector” are intended to support all those responsible for safety in the workplace, be it governments, employers, workers, trade unions, professional bodies or members of the public.

Can a company prevent violence in the workplace?

While more and more information on the causes of violence and how to handle it is becoming known, there is often no reasonable rationale for this type of conduct and, despite everything we know or do, violent situations happen. No employer is immune from workplace violence and no employer can totally prevent it.