Promote a safe and positive culture in the workplace

This standard is about promoting a safe and positive culture in the workplace. It covers the skills and knowledge required for improving the working environment by reviewing the current levels of understanding of violence at work. It is also about producing plans to promote a safe and positive culture in the workplace and providing opportunities for discussion and communication about violence at work.

This standard is for anyone who is responsible for promoting a safe and positive culture working environment.

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1. develop plans to promote a safe and positive culture in the workplace
2. gather and record recommendations from employees and relevant stakeholders on their concerns or experience of violence at work
3. collate employees’ responses in relation to organisation’s policies and procedures on preventing and managing violence at work
4. check employees’ requirements for safety equipment and precautionary measures
5. identify the areas where improvements and changes may be required
6. produce a plan based on recommendations to help reduce incidents of violence and improve the working environment
7. carry out the risk assessments and record your findings
8. obtain the necessary approvals to implement your plans
9. implement plans to promote a safe and positive culture in the workplace
10. communicate with employees about the importance of being alert to the presence of risks of violence at work
11. provide information and support on preventing and managing violence at work for all  employees
12. provide opportunities for employees to review the risk assessments for their work
13. collate the available resources to help reduce incidents of violence and improve positive culture in the workplace
14. set up and monitor appropriate mechanisms for the discussions of workplace violence
15. develop and encourage the use of procedures for submitting comments, compliments and complaints
16. communicate your organisation’s policy on violence at work to all employees
17. review and amend your plans of safe and positive culture on a regular basis

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1. the procedures for safeguarding confidentiality in accordance with data protection regulation
2. your legal duties for ensuring your and other employees’ well-being, safety and health in the workplace
3. the channels of communication within your organisation
4. the relevant procedures for reporting injuries, diseases, near misses and dangerous occurrences
5. the job roles and responsibilities of all employees for whom you are responsible
6. the principles of safe and positive culture in the workplace
7. the importance of keeping employees informed and involving them in discussions about violence at work
8. the importance of providing opportunities for employees to discuss any aspects of their working environment which could be improved
9. the importance of reminding everyone to remain alert to the presence of triggers of violence in the workplace and in virtual environments
10. the sources of information on violence at work and the various types of support and advice
11. the impact of changes in the working environment and the effects of these changes on employees and service-users
12. the risk assessments which are appropriate to your work
13. the relevant legislation for health and safety at work
14. the rules and etiquette of social media and online methods of communication
15. the legal responsibilities and your organisation’s policy and procedures

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Aggressive behaviour
Any behaviour or actions aimed at harming a person or damaging physical property.

Aggressive communication
A style of communication in which individuals express their feelings and opinions and advocate for their needs in a way that violates the rights of others.

Conflict
A state of opposition and disagreement between two or more people or groups of people, which is sometimes characterised by verbal abuse, threatening behaviour or physical violence.

Conflict Management
The practice of identifying and handling conflict in a sensible, fair, and efficient manner. Conflict management requires such skills as effective communicating, problem solving, and negotiating with a focus on common interests and safeguarding all concerned.

Dynamic Risk Assessment
This is a continuous assessment of the risks faced in a situation as it unfolds to ensure the safest and most effective response is being employed.

Equipment
These could include equipment such as pagers, mobile phones, walkie-talkies, panic buttons, public address systems, etc.

Evaluation
The process of determining whether an item or activity meets specified criteria.
It can include comparing the adequacy of policies and procedures with current practice or professional standards to manage work-related violence.

Generic Risk Assessment
It is:

• an examination of the work and workplace activities to identify what could cause harm to people (a hazard); and
• an assessment of the chance, high or low, that somebody could be harmed by the hazards identified, together with an indication of how serious the harm could be (the risk).

On the basis of this assessment a decision is made as to what prevention or control measures should be taken to prevent the possibility of harm.

Physical Intervention
This should include personal safety techniques to reduce the impact of hazardous behaviours, protective stances, disengagement and breakaway techniques” (when responding to physically threatening behaviours or defending oneself or another) or “restraint techniques” (when physically restricting a person’s movement).

Positive Working Environment and Culture
A working environment and culture which does not tolerate any violent behaviour.

Procedures
A series of steps following in a regular definite order that implements a policy.

Precautionary Measures
These could include: protective barriers, protective clothing, security responses, working in pairs or teams instead of lone working, etc.

Responsible Person
A person named in the organisation’s procedures as having responsibility for incidents of violence at work.

Risk
A risk is the likelihood of potential harm from that hazard being realised.
The extent of the risk depends on:

• the likelihood of that harm occurring;
• the potential severity of that harm, i.e. of any resultant injury or adverse health effect; and
• the population which might be affected by the hazard, i.e. the number of people who might be exposed.

Source: HSE “Management of health and safety at work –Approved Code of Practice & Guidance”.

Safe Working Practices
Established safe methods of carrying out activities, procedures or techniques used in carrying out your job or work activities to deliver a service with levels of quality and efficiency required by the organisation.

Service Users
Examples are: school students, patients, clients, passengers, customers, detainees, the public, parents, volunteers and carers.

Triggers of Violence
Factors that might cause violence to occur. They can be categorised in four different types:

• temporary personal factors for example, the service-user being uncomfortable from a lack of food, warmth, light, or presenting challenging behaviour whilst under the influence of drink or drugs, or
• persistent personal factors such as deteriorating mental health, having a difficulty or disability, which prevents normal communication, movement or behaviour, or
• temporary environmental factors such as a hot, noisy, crowded room, poor work dynamics in terms of furniture layout, etc., or
• persistent environmental factors such as too much being expected of the service-user, or the quality of the service offered consistently failing to meet the required standards of the user.

Work-related Violence
The Health and Safety Executive’s definition of work-related violence is: “Any incident in which a person is abused, threatened or assaulted in circumstances relating to their work‟.

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ACAS https://www.acas.org.uk/
Equality and Human Rights Commission http://www.equalityhumanrights.com/
Institute of Conflict Management https://instituteofconflict.management/
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) http://www.hse.gov.uk/
Trade Union Congress http://www.tuc.org.uk/
Victim Support www.victimsupport.org

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1

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2030

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Current

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Original

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Instructus

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CFAPMVW6

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Managers and Senior Officials, Personnel, Training and Industrial Relations Managers , Trade Union Representatives and Professionals, Personnel and industrial relations officers

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1135

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Prevention; Management; Violence; Workplace; Culture; Workplace

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