HSE Announce New Guidance On Violence At Work

1 May 2023

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE), the national independent regulator for health and safety in the workplace, has updated its guidance for employers on violence at work. The guidance defines violence and aggression at work, how to prevent it and how employees can be protected from it.

The update removed outdated content and reminded employers that violence includes verbal abuse or threats, both online and via phone. The guidance also gives specific advice for sectors including retail, which has experienced a rise from 450 cases of violence and abuse per day before the pandemic, to 850 in 2022.

The regulations state that employers must perform a risk assessment to identify significant risks to its employees and implement effective control measures.  This does include how to prevent and manage violence.

Employers have a duty to protect workers and should be proactive in preventing violence at work.  A competent person should be appointed either in-house or via an external consultancy to manage risk assessments.

For more information click here for HSE: Advice for workers on violence in the workplace.

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