Violence in the workplace

Late night working- helping to prevent violence to staff

It is a sad but true fact that incidents of violent crime continue to increase. Figures from the British Retail Consortium show that nationally one shop worker is attacked or threatened every minute of the shopping day.

Extended trading hours have increased the exposure to risk to staff while reduced staffing levels at night time and the ever present worry over drunken customers make matters even worse.

Businesses have a duty under health and safety legislation to protect the safety of staff and staff must follow safety arrangements put in place by their employer.

Gedling Borough Council works in partnership with the police and businesses locally to operate very successful separate Shop and Pub Watch Schemes that are supported by an equally successful radio scheme to help combat crime in the town centres. During the coming year officers will be supporting the work of the Health and Safety Executive locally in publicising violence in the workplace, and will be holding a local event for businesses planned for the summer this year.

A number of organisations are now publicising the problem of violence to staff and an informative leaflet, “Late-night working preventing violence to staff” has been produced by the Union of Shop, Distribution and Allied Workers (USDAW) and is available from their web site www.usdaw.org.uk

Bury District Council have identified 16 practical ways to help avoid retail violence that are listed below.

• Provide a counter that acts as a barrier to physical contact between customers and staff.
• Lock any doors to ‘staff only’ areas and ensure only staff have and use keys for access.
• Install security and access key/card/code systems.
• Provide a ‘safe area’ for staff in case of emergency.
• Reduce cash held on the premises by encouraging the use of electronic payment methods by customers and regularly emptying tills.
• Never cash up or count money when in public view and have a safe procedure for banking and /or cash collection.
• Use notices to state that minimal cash is kept in the tills.
• Have notices stating that, “a time delay safe operates on this premises which cannot be overridden by staff”.
• Advertise that the business has security measures to detect aggressive customers.
• Promote the fact that harassment and bullying will not be tolerated.
• Create a culture of respect.
• Give clear guidelines on what is unacceptable behaviour and on recognising early signs of aggression.
• Give training of security measures, how to handle difficult situations with customers and how to reduce a person’s aggression.
• Use security video cameras, mirrors, alarms and beepers to announce entry and exit to the shop.
• Produce and use forms to encourage description taking of incidents and offenders.
• Display notices declaring that CCTV and other security measures are on site (these must be compliant with the Data Protection Act).

Contact details

If you would like to talk to this Authority either about business crime, ‘Shop Watch’, ‘Pub Watch’ or shop radio scheme please telephone 0115 9013845.

Our Food and Health and Safety Office will be able to discuss the health and safety implications of workplace violence or reply to email enquiries. Please see our contact details on our main Food and Health and Safety page.

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