1. What is work-related violence and who does it affect?

Defining work-related violence

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) defines work-related violence as: “Any incident in which a person is abused, threatened or assaulted in circumstances relating to their work.”

This can include verbal abuse or threats, including face-to-face, online and via the telephone, as well as physical attacks. It can come from members of the public, customers, clients, patients, service users and students, towards a person at work.

For violence to be work-related, the HSE explains, it must be in connection with the work activity – therefore the following situations would not be included in this definition:

• personal disputes between workers and other people, such as family members; and

• violence between people not at work, such as customers or service users.

Unions argue, however, that domestic violence is very much a workplace issue (see page 19). They also argue that employers should be looking at how to reduce incidents where customers and others are violent towards each other. Earlier this year, for example, the PCS public and commercial services union warned against cutting security staff in DWP department for work and pensions job centres in order to keep both staff and the public safe. The union said there were increasing numbers of serious incidents in jobcentres, while public safety is being threatened by the rise of violent activity by the far-right (see pages 37-39).