Analysis on the British Crime Survey by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), has found that hundreds of thousands of violent acts were committed against workers in England and Wales during 2008/09. An estimated 327,000 workers experienced at least one incident of violence at work, 168,000 of these workers had been assaulted and 176,000 had been threatened.

 Workers in ‘protective service’ occupations, such as police officers, fire service officers and prison service officers, were most at risk of violence at work. Figures showed that 9.0 per cent of people in the ‘protective services’ experienced one or more incidents on violence. Other high risk groups included health professionals and social care professionals.

 Under the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 employers are required to assess the risks to their employees and must implement measures to eliminate and/or reduce the risks. Personal safety training is one of the most effective ways of reducing the risk of violent and aggressive incidents occurring in the workplace and is something you may wish to consider if you are at risk of violence.