How employers can protect workers from violence and aggression at work

2. What the law says

Health and safety law applies to risks from work-related violence, just as it does to other risks from work. The main pieces of relevant legislation are provided below.

Health and Safety at Work Act

This Act places a legal duty on employers to ensure, so far as reasonably practicable[6], the health, safety, and welfare of workers. This includes protecting them from work-related violence.

Every business must have a policy for managing health and safety[7].

Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations

These Regulations require employers to assess the health and safety risks[8] to workers, including the risk of work-related violence.

In addition, employers have a requirement to:

Workers, on the other hand, are required to use the information and training they have received, and to report dangerous situations or failings in health and safety arrangements.

You can find guidance on workers’ responsibilities. Health and Safety Law: What you need to know (PDF) [13]

Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (RIDDOR)

Under these Regulations, employers, certain self-employed people and those in control of work premises must report certain workplace injuries, dangerous occurrences and occupational diseases to HSE.

More information on reporting violent incidents[14].

Safety Representatives and Safety Committees Regulations

Under these Regulations, employers have a duty to consult with their workers, or their representatives, on health and safety matters.

These Regulations apply in workplaces where:

  • the employer recognises trade unions
  • trade unions are recognised for collective bargaining purposes

Health and Safety (Consultation with Employees) Regulations

These Regulations apply in workplaces where workers are not covered by representatives appointed by recognised trade unions.

More information on consulting workers[15].

HSE is not the primary authority for cases of bullying, harassment or domestic abuse in the workplace. However, there are other sources of advice:

View a printable version of the whole guide[20]

Link URLs in this page

  1. Overviewhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/violence/employer/index.htm
  2. Assessing the riskshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/violence/employer/assessing-the-risks.htm
  3. Control measures to prevent violencehttps://www.hse.gov.uk/violence/employer/controls-to-prevent.htm
  4. Reporting and learning from incidentshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/violence/employer/reporting-learning-from-incidents.htm
  5. Examples of ways to prevent violencehttps://www.hse.gov.uk/violence/employer/examples-to-prevent.htm
  6. so far as reasonably practicablehttps://www.hse.gov.uk/simple-health-safety/risk/steps-needed-to-manage-risk.htm#_Control_the_risks
  7. policy for managing health and safetyhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/simple-health-safety/policy/index.htm
  8. assess the health and safety riskshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/violence/employer/assessing-the-risks.htm
  9. appoint competent peoplehttps://www.hse.gov.uk/simple-health-safety/gettinghelp/index.htm
  10. set up emergency procedureshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/workplace-health/emergency-procedures.htm
  11. provide information and training to workershttps://www.hse.gov.uk/simple-health-safety/training/index.htm
  12. work together with employers sharing the same workplacehttps://www.hse.gov.uk/workplace-health/shared-workplaces.htm
  13. Health and Safety Law: What you need to knowhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/law.pdf
  14. More information on reporting violent incidentshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/violence/employer/reporting-learning-from-incidents.htm
  15. More information on consulting workershttps://www.hse.gov.uk/simple-health-safety/consult.htm
  16. Acas information on dealing with discrimination, bullying and harassment at workhttps://www.acas.org.uk/discrimination-bullying-and-harassment
  17. GOV.UK guidance on dealing with domestic abusehttps://www.gov.uk/guidance/domestic-abuse-how-to-get-help
  18. Previous page Overview https://www.hse.gov.uk/violence/employer/index.htm
  19. Next page Assessing the risks https://www.hse.gov.uk/violence/employer/assessing-the-risks.htm
  20. View a printable version of the whole guidehttps://www.hse.gov.uk/violence/employer/print.htm
  21. Advice for workers on preventing violencehttps://www.hse.gov.uk/violence/worker/index.htm
  22. Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulationshttps://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1999/3242/contents/made
  23. RIDDOR Regulationshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/riddor/index.htm
  24. Consulting workers on health and safetyhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/simple-health-safety/consult.htm
  25. Health and social care serviceshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/healthservices/violence/index.htm
  26. Stress and mental health at workhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/stress/index.htm
  27. Lone workershttps://www.hse.gov.uk/lone-working/index.htm
  28. Risk assessmenthttps://www.hse.gov.uk/simple-health-safety/risk/index.htm

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