• Are your staff or you having to deal with aggressive and threatening behaviour?
• Have your staff or you been subjected to a verbal or physical assault?
• Do you feel nervous or anxious about having to deal with this type of situation?
• Is stress related sick leave increasing?
• Could this trend be related to the roles and duties of staff?
• Have you or your organisation identified a competency gap in staff skills?

• What issues may be raised as a result of these questions?
• Why might an individual or organisation need this training?
• What does "so far as reasonably practicable" mean?
• Have you completed appropriate risk assessments and have these been monitored and reviewed for effectiveness?

What issues may be raised as a result of these questions?

The reality of most confrontation or conflict is that it begins with a verbal or psychological encounter. This rarely escalates but unfortunately on occasions can become physical. Naturally most people feel uneasy at having to deal with this type of situation. This could be due to a lack of confidence, previous experience, and fear of what might happen or a lack of appropriate skills.

If you can learn to read the signs of aggression, understand your body’s natural response to this; learn strategies to deal with aggression and violence
and understand your rights in relation to the lawful use of force you will develop confidence and competence. This in turn will allow you to be calmer and more controlled during a confrontation and reduce the chances of physical violence being used.

Why might an individual or organisation need this training?

As an employer you have a moral and legal duty of care for your staff. Do they work in an environment where they may be assaulted, intimidated or threatened? Not only can this have serious implications to employers and employees but can also lead to a drop in the moral in the workplace and therefore produce a less efficient and productive workforce.

An employer may be held liable for any physical harm or stress related illness suffered as a result of workplace conditions. They may result in possible litigation and the potential for prosecution under the criminal and civil law courts.

The Health and Safety at Work act 1974 states that:

Employers have a duty for the health, safety and welfare of all its employees and are required to provide information, instruction, training and supervision so far as is reasonably practicable to ensure the health and safety of all employees.

It also places a responsibility on employers a duty to ensureso far as is reasonably practicable to reduce risks to persons who are not employees but who may be affected by the way an employer carries out its business e.g. customers, visitors and contractors.

What does “so far as reasonably practicable” mean?

The test for this would be balanced between the level of risk involved and the costs, time and difficulty of implementing systems to overcome the risk. Therefore the higher the risk the greater the effort required to reduce the risk.

Have you completed appropriate risk assessments and have these been monitored and reviewed for effectiveness?

The management of Health and safety at work regulations 1992 requires employers to carry out risk assessments to consider Health & Safety of employees and others whilst they are at work or arising out of a connection with that work.

Risk assessments must be rated against the probability or likelihood of occurrence versus the severity of injury or illness suffered. These risk assessments must be reviewed to discover if they are still valid and whether there have been any related significant changes.