Violence at Work

Violence at Work

The last place anyone would expect to be assaulted is in work. Our familiar working environment should provide a place of safety away from the risk of being attacked yet this isn’t always the case. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) defines work-related violence as:

Any incident in which a person is abused, threatened or assaulted in circumstances relating to their work. This includes verbal abuse and threats, as well as any form of physical abuse.

Physical altercations can result in cuts and bruises, broken bones and tragically in some cases life threatening injury with long lasting psychological trauma.

What to do following a fight at work:

Find safety and ensure that your attacker cannot cause you any more harm then report the incident to your manager, take notes of what happened and details of any witnesses as well as photos of the area and any injuries. Ensure your injuries are treated with first aid and seek medical attention if the injuries are serious

1. If you wish to pursue the matter as a criminal offence report the incident to the police, an accurate police report with help with any follow up criminal case
2. Contact a solicitor. A solicitor will be able to advise you of your legal rights in this situation

Fighting employees can impact the whole workplace. Not only do they harm one another but they potentially damage their surroundings and upset their colleagues, which in turn elevates workplace stress and affects productivity. Employers must reduce the risk of workplace violence by implementing policies and procedures and effective lines of communication that allow employees to air any grievances before a situation gets out of hand.

Liability:

The person who instigated the attack would have direct liability however the employer may also be responsible if the altercation happened during work hours, whether it happened in work or not. This is known as vicarious liability or in an employment law context as ‘respondeat superior’. A form of strict liability where an individual is responsible for the action or inaction of someone with whom they have a special relationship. That special relationship includes an employer and employee.

Compensation:

If you are of the view that your assault could and should have been prevented then we are here to listen and advise you of all of your options.

Contact us today for free, no obligation advice regarding your Accident At Work claim – either by calling us free on 0800 028 2060, or by requesting a free call back, whereby one of our team will contact you at a time of your choice, to discuss your situation.

We’re here to help – contact us today.