Assault Reduction International

Can we ever manage violence and aggression?

Mark Jenner — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 17:25:12 +0000

Well so much for us hoping 2012 would see a reduction in workplace violence!

So far staff and employees continue to deal with violence and aggression from the very people they are employed to serve. Across all sectors hard working employees are being hurt, sometimes seriously, as they try to meet the ever increasing expectations of customers and patients against a backdrop of budget and resource cuts.

During the first two weeks of January we have seen reports of increased attacks on Fire Fighters in Scotland and Ambulance crews in the North West of England. Heard of teaching staff punched and burned in the United States, a teacher in the South East of England hospitalised with a broken leg and suspected dislocated knee cap following an attack by a 10 year old boy. Retail staff are not immune, pharmacy, supermarket and convenience store workers abused and assaulted for refusing sales, in the night time economy door-supervisors have been physically attacked and had guns pointed at them.

Residential care provision is equally well represented in the workplace violence tables with support staff assaulted in medium secure mental health settings, hospital staff also see there fair share of aggressive behaviours, to the extent where security provision has had to be increased in one hospital in Queensland, Australia. Community nurses, an RCN survey reveals, feel that over the past two years risks to lone working has increased with patient expectation and increased workloads the principle reason behind it.

Most workplaces are now acutely aware of their responsibilities in the area of violence risk management and many are turning to training staff as a control measure. Workplace violence is a complex risk and cannot alone be managed through training; too many organisations are exposing themselves and staff to risk by not supporting the training messages operationally. Assault Reduction is about tying together policy, procedure and practice to keep staff, patients, service users and customers safe.

Arts staff learn how to deal with aggression

Mark Jenner — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 20:39:30 +0000

Hugh Dougherty

The performance space at Aberdeen’s Lemon Tree arts venue is lit up and some 15 figures look as if they’re rehearsing moves for a play’s fight sequence. Some are putting their palms up in front of their faces to ward off attack. Others are pulling aggressors away from colleagues and there’s action aplenty.

But this is not a part of the centre’s theatre programme. The clue is in the fit figure, fitting between the bodies, offering encouragement here, showing where the hands should be there.

For what’s going down at the Lemon Tree is a Maybo Scotland, one-and-a-half-day course in personal safety for duty managers, bar and front-of-house staff, employed by Aberdeen Performing Arts, the body which runs the city’s His Majesty’s Theatre, Music Hall and Lemon Tree itself.

It’s being presented by Maybo trainer, Mike Greville, a retired Strathclyde police officer who was booked by APA. The body’s HR manager, Jane Hepburn, explains: “Most people are surprised to learn that theatre and arts venue staff are subject to aggression and even violence at work. But they are. Although the vast majority of our patrons come to our venues to enjoy themselves, there is a growing majority of audience members who come fuelled up on drink or drugs and the result is that our staff and other law-abiding audience members are intimidated. I felt that we had to train our staff to know what action to take and how to take it.”

Mr Greville, who gained extensive experience of conflict resolution during his police career, heads up the Scottish operation of nationally-based training organisation Maybo, with fellow retired officer Alex Hossack. Public sector bodies, including council and health boards, are prominent among their clients, although working with an arts organisation is a first, Mr Greville admits. “What’s becoming clearer to us is that there’s a latent and growing aggression in society, perhaps fuelled by the harsh economic times we’re in, with many people taking out their anger on front-line workers,” he says, “It makes good sense to train staff to deal with situations which may arise.”

The Aberdeen arts staff learned the theory and practice of assault avoidance and disengagement, with grounding in when it’s legal to use force and how to apply it, But, above all, Mike and Maybo begin by teaching trainees how to reduce the risk of conflict, by taking primary avoidance.

One of the staff asks if her long hair is likely to be pulled by a would-be assailant. “Let’s go back to primary avoidance,” advises Mike. “Tie your hair up when you go on duty so it can’t be pulled. Always try to avoid situations arising.”

None of the techniques are about conquering a would-be assailant. There’s an emphasis on stance, attitude, making space and using the palms; open palms to encourage communication, and active palms to shield the face, creating a wedge to push an assailant away and then, crucially, to move away and get help.

Mike Greville says problems may be caused by a minority, but employers have the duty of care to both their staff and their customers.

“It makes sense to ensure that front-line people have training if and when things do kick off. We’ve also been working with voluntary organisations where staff deal with some very difficult clients and I can see a rising demand for courses from right across the public, private and voluntary sectors, wherever staff come into contact with the public.”

Trainees also practise dealing with grips and grabs, using a motion called ‘having a drink’, which with a cradled hand, allows a member of staff to release themselves from a wrist grip. Releasing a clothing grab, rescuing a colleague being assaulted and guiding a person out of a venue, safely and effectively, are also among the techniques covered.

Budget cuts increase risk of workplace violence?

Mark Jenner — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 22:07:09 +0000

In the last two weeks, across the world, ordinary people working in roles providing support and help to others have been exposed to the risk of violence and aggression. On a daily basis reports come in, from every corner, of staff being attacked and injured whilst at work.

Court security is beefed up in Australia as incidents of violence increase, licensing requires a Scottish nightclub to do likewise after a spate of violent incidents, in the United States a transit officer is assaulted in a racist attack whilst bar staff there have also been injured, in the UK a door supervisor has his nose broken in an attack, whilst in Hyderabad inmates attack prison staff with cricket bats. Members of Parliament in the UK demand assaults on pub staff to be treated more seriously by the courts and prominent security providers in the UK and US warn the risk of budget cuts will increase the likely hood of violence.

The night time economy doesn’t have a monopoly here children’s services are well represented; in the US a teacher is assaulted at a residential services unit resulting in the restraint of a 13 year old, an excluded UK teen returns to a school armed with a knife and a US teacher trying to break up a fight, loses her unborn baby after a vicious assault by a pupil. After an assault at another US school the training of teachers in how to diffuse situations is also under review.

In New Zealand an increase in violent incidents towards nursing staff in Emergency rooms has led to the deployment of security officers, on the other side of the world, in the US following the assault of a member of staff, a review of training provision takes place in an attempt to reduce assaults. Australia and the UK have seen A&E staff assaulted, we have heard of abusive drunks being arrested and staff receiving serious injuries.

In Australia a 67 year old nurse attacked on a mental health ward suffers two broken arms, a broken shoulder and other serious injuries when she is beaten to “within an inch of her life”, but she survives unlike the US corrections officer who was tragically killed. Representing the guards at the facility a spokesperson said "This is what we've all feared would happen, and now it has," guards have been forced to work solo more often as budget cuts have reduced the size of the staff at the prison facility.

So whilst training and education can minimise the risk of workplace violence the biggest risk staff are facing now is budget cuts as organisations try to stay afloat in uncertain times.

The HSE (UK) ‘Violence at work: Findings from the 2009/10 British Crime Survey’.

Mark Jenner — Sun, 23 Jan 2011 18:02:47 +0000

Reporting on the 2009/2010 British Crime Survey (BCS) the report shows that the risk of being a victim of violence at work in the UK is low, down by 9,000 form last year figures with victims of one or more workplace violence incidents accounting for 1.4% of all working adults. Undoubtedly critics will suggest these figures are low and that anecdotally they are much higher. This highlights a systemic under reporting across many work sectors, not wanting to ‘rock the boat’ or ‘nothing ever gets done about it’ underpinning the general malaise in reporting violence at work incidents.

Whilst acknowledging that 677,000 incidents of violence at work (comprising 310,000 assaults and 367,000 threats) is still too many, it is re-assuring that these were actually reported.

The report highlights that those most at risk of assault are staff in protective service occupations, policing, security, and door-supervision etc at 9.0%, staff in health and social welfare roles combined accounting for 6.4% with skilled trade-persons, technology professionals, and those working in printing and textiles being at least risk.

The majority of workplace assaults (65%) came from strangers the remainder; service users, customers, clients or members of the public known to the victim through work. Last years figures show an estimated 7% increase in repeat victims on those of 2008/09 but reassuringly show a 10% fall in the number of assaults which caused injury.

Alcohol and drugs feature in almost 60% of workplace violence incidents victims reporting the offender as being under their influence in 38% and 19% of cases respectively. So whilst the BCS continues to provide trend evidence of a steady decline in the numbers of workplace violence incidents there is still work to be done as we continue to hear of staff globally who face violence and aggression at work on a daily basis.

Higher Education and Industry

Mark Jenner — Mon, 17 Jan 2011 21:09:02 +0000

As KPMG UK and Durham University steal the headlines by announcing a long term partnership, aimed at broadening access to the accountancy profession, an equally important, but less heralded, partnership begins in the licensed retail sector.
The British Institute of Inn-keeping, the BII, have worked closely with Leeds Metropolitan University to develop a package which has been designed to suit the needs of the university and of their hospitality students.
Whilst not as financially lucrative as the KPMG/Durham package, the BII/Leeds Met partnership is a fantastic opportunity for their hospitality students. Each will receive BII Foundation membership in their first year, NCPLH qualifications, specialist talks from the BII and assistance sourcing placement year positions.
This scheme brings together the Licensed Retail industry and Higher Education to better prepare hospitality students for their future and that of the sector. So whilst the philosophies of these programmes are honourable and wholly appropriate lets just hope that the programme content is not too similar.
Like any other sector, Hospitality aims to provide a business return for it’s investors and therefore a commercial focus is imperative, the KPMG/Durham students focus on the financial side of the market place let not our hospitality students unthinkingly follow suit.
Hospitality aims to provide safe and secure entertainment for all of us to relax and enjoy ourselves, this should never be at the expense of the safety and security of staff in defence of the bottom line.