Introduction to violence at work

Violence is rapidly becoming an everyday reality for many workers, from bus drivers to teachers, bank security personnel, nurses and air crews faced with mounting cases of air rage among passengers. But shrouding it in silence and secrecy is counter-productive.

Many remedies exist, including security measures, surveillance, organizational solutions and the training of staff in how best to diffuse potentially violent situations. In most cases, these remedies are extremely cost-effective in terms of reduced medical and personnel costs and improved performance. But they can only be applied effectively once the problem has been acknowledged and brought out into the open.

Experience in this and allied fields strongly suggests that the most effective solutions are obtained when the issue is addressed by an active partnership of all the actors concerned.Governments, trade unions and employers are increasingly worried by what is emerging as a major workplace concern. The response at the national and international levels is taking shape. The European Commission is analysing the action to be taken for the prevention of workplace violence in the European Union as part of its current programme on safety, hygiene and health at work. All around the world, further surveys and studies are being carried out to identify the main problem areas. Innovative experiments are underway to assess the feasibility and effectiveness of different solutions to the problem. However, the new information and ideas resulting from these initiatives are only now starting to become available.

This introduction to violence at work is intended to provide brief answers to a number of questions. These include: How great a problem is violence at work? What forms does it take? Which sectors and occupations are most affected? To what extent are women particularly vulnerable, with special reference to sexual harassment? What is the cost of violence at work to the individual, the company and society? Do we understand why violence at work happens?want to read moreclick here