Work-Related Violence - Programme of work

The Health and Safety Commission (HSC) is committed to tackling the problem of WRV. In March 2000 HSC embarked on a three year programme to help employers tackle WRV, with the aim of reducing the number of incidents of violence at work by the end of 2003.

HSE has been working with its key stakeholders and partners - from industry, trade unions, local authorities, other Government Departments, and small firms organisations - to take this programme forward and to help achieve its aims.

Key elements of the first phase programme

As part of this programme HSE has:

• published case study guidance to help smaller businesses manage the risk of work-related violence, including in the retail sector.
• commissioned research to find examples of good practice in preventing and managing violence to lone workers, including in the retail sector.
• funded the development of new National Occupational Standards in the management of work-related violence. These standards were published by the Employment National Training Organisation in September 2002 and provide employers with a framework on which to develop detailed policies on WRV.

Evaluation of the first phase programme

HSE hopes that taken together, the measures in the programme will make a difference to the levels of WRV. It is using data from the British Crime Survey (BCS) 2003 (published in February 2004) and HSE’s own RIDDOR statistics to evaluate the effectiveness of the programme. The figures from the BCS 2000 provided a baseline for the first phase of the programme.

The proposed second phase (2004-06) of the HSC’s programme on WRV

HSE officials will be submitting proposals to the HSC in March 2004 for the next phase (2004-06) of the programme on WRV. Information from the BCS 2003 will help to inform proposals for this next phase of the programme.