17 Psychosocial risks
Violence & Aggression
Violence and aggression can include any incident where a person is abused, threatened or assaulted at the workplace or while they are working. The violence can be either directed at the person or as a result of witnessing violence against someone else.
There are a number of sources of work-related violence and aggression including:
external violence - usually associated with robbery or other crimes and the perpetrator is someone from outside the workplace. It can happen in any industry but often occurs in the retail, hospitality, security, cash-handling, finance and banking industries.
Service-related violence - arises when providing services to clients, customers, patients or prisoners. It generally occurs in the hospitality, retail, health, aged care, disability, youth services, education and enforcement industries. Often, service-related violence is unintentional but it does cause harm and is therefore a risk to a worker’s health and safety.
Internal violence and aggression - can arise within the work environment from co-workers, supervisors or managers. While internal work-related violence and aggression can occur in isolation, with no other psychosocial hazards present, it may also occur as a result of multiple psychosocial hazards not being managed effectively (e.g. low job control, poor organisational justice and poor relationships at work).
Examples of violence may include:
biting, spitting, scratching, hitting, kicking
punching, pushing, shoving, tripping, grabbing
throwing objects
verbal threats
aggravated assault
any form of indecent physical contact
threatening someone with a weapon or armed robbery.
How violence and aggression show in the workplace
Domestic and family violence is also an issue that can impact the work environment.
Violence and aggression at work often causes physical or psychological injury and can sometimes be fatal. It can also result in economic and social costs to the victim, their family, their organisation and the wider community. Like all work health and safety risks, it must be managed.
To determine if violence and aggression is a potential hazard in your workplace:
talk with HSRs, health and safety committees, workers, customers and clients
walk through and inspect your workplace
review workers’ compensation claims
refer to industry standards and guidelines
examine local crime statistics
review your workplace hazard and incident reports.
Explore other
psychosocial risks
Please note that the information on this page is based on guidance from Comcare’s psychosocial resources. Definitions, terminology, and regulatory expectations may vary by state, territory, or country. Each psychosocial risk has its own dedicated page, and ReFresh is designed to adapt to the specific regulations and frameworks that apply in your jurisdiction, supporting organisations operating across different regions worldwide.