Occupational Violence and Aggression: Managing a Key Psychosocial Risk

A Growing Challenge for Every Workplace

Across Australia, reports of Occupational Violence and Aggression (OVA) are increasing. From frontline healthcare workers to council officers, educators, and retail staff, many employees now face verbal abuse, threats, or physical intimidation as part of their daily work.

For OHS professionals and managers, this is a confronting reality. Staff safety and wellbeing are at stake, reputational risk looms large, and new psychosocial health regulations are raising the legal bar for compliance.

Many organisations ask:  “How do we protect our people when aggression feels inevitable?”

The answer lies in understanding that OVA is not “part of the job”. It’s a psychosocial hazard that can, and must, be prevented.

1. Understanding OVA as a Psychosocial Hazard

Occupational Violence and Aggression refers to verbal abuse, threats, intimidation, harassment, or physical assault directed at workers during the course of their duties.

OVA is one of the most serious psychosocial hazards because it can lead to:

• Psychological harm: anxiety, stress, depression, PTSD.
• Physical injury: bruises, fractures, chronic pain.
• Secondary impacts: absenteeism, burnout, turnover, and reduced service quality.

OVA occurs in any role involving human interaction from hospitals and aged care, to customer service counters and compliance inspections, to emergency response teams. The impact of OVA can be greater for workers in remote or community settings, where help may be delayed.

While exposure may vary by industry, the underlying principle is universal: aggression is a workplace hazard, not an occupational expectation.

The risk should be controlled through systems and prevention, not accepted as unavoidable.

2. Legal and Regulatory Context

Under Work Health and Safety (WHS) and Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) laws, employers have a primary duty of care to ensure workers are not exposed to health and safety risks, including psychological harm.

National Context

From December 2025, every jurisdiction in Australia has incorporated psychosocial risk duties into their WHS Regulations, supported by Codes of Practice.

These regulations explicitly recognise psychosocial hazards such as aggression, harassment, bullying, and exposure to traumatic events.

This harmonisation means all Australian employers must identify, eliminate, or reduce these risks so far as reasonably practicable and consult with workers on control measures.

Regulator Expectations

Regulators such as WorkSafe VIC, SafeWork NSW, and WorkSafe QLD treat OVA as a critical compliance area. Investigations increasingly focus on whether employers had:

• Proper risk assessments and control plans in place.
• Clear reporting systems and incident follow-up procedures.
• Appropriate training and supervision to manage aggressive behaviour.

Failing to manage OVA is now viewed as a breach of your legal duty, and not just a human resources issue.

3. Employer and Worker Duties

Psychological health and safety is a shared responsibility.

For Employers / PCBUs:

• Identify where and when OVA risks occur.
• Consult employees and health and safety representatives on prevention strategies.
• Implement practical controls such as safe facility design, staffing ratios, duress systems, zero-tolerance policies.
• Monitor and review incidents, near misses, and hazard reports.
• Provide ongoing training and wellbeing support.

For Managers and Supervisors:

• Lead by example in calm, respectful interactions.
• Recognise early warning signs and act promptly.
• De-escalate conflict and support affected staff.
• Ensure workers feel confident to report without fear of blame.

For Workers:

• Follow safe work procedures and use available controls.
• Report incidents or near misses.
• Participate in OVA and de-escalation training.

When these responsibilities align, organisations create psychologically safe environments that protect both staff and the clients they support.

4. Managing OVA as a Psychosocial Risk

An effective OVA strategy is built on the risk management cycle used for all workplace hazards.

Step 1: Identify

Gather information through:

• Incident reports, complaints, and exit interviews.
• Consultation with staff and safety representatives.
• Observation of work environments (layout, lighting, security).
• Data analysis (peak times, high-risk locations, patterns of aggression).

Common hazards include client frustration, service delays, working alone, fatigue, unclear boundaries, or a culture that normalises aggression.

Step 2: Assess

Evaluate:

• Likelihood of aggression based on task and environment.
• Consequence of potential psychological and physical harm.
• Groups most at risk such as frontline, casual, or inexperienced staff.

Step 3: Control

Apply the hierarchy of controls:

1. Redesign systems or remove triggers (e.g., simplify forms, reduce waiting times).
2. Provide remote options or secure contact channels.
3. Engineering, Install barriers, screens, duress alarms, improved lighting.
4. Develop policies, procedures, signage, and shift rotation.
5. Training and supervision. Equip staff with de-escalation, communication, and self-protection skills.

Training is vital, but it must be embedded in a broader prevention framework that includes culture, leadership, and reporting systems.

Step 4: Review

Regularly review:

• Incident trends and outcomes.
• Worker feedback on safety measures.
• Post-incident debriefs to identify lessons to be learned.

Continuous improvement keeps systems responsive and effective.

5. Case Law and Enforcement Examples

Regulators and courts are increasingly holding organisations accountable for failing to manage psychosocial risks such as OVA.

• Comcare v Linfox Australia Pty Ltd (2018):
  Linfox was fined for not providing a safe system of work after an employee experienced psychological injury linked to work-related aggression and workload pressures.
• Healthcare and Community Services:
  WorkSafe prosecutions have occurred where inadequate staffing, poor facility design, or weak incident response systems exposed workers to violent clients.
• Fair Work Commission decisions:
  Several cases have resulted in compensation where psychological harm was linked to unmanaged aggression.

The trend is clear: psychological harm is being treated as seriously as physical injury.

Non-compliance can lead to fines, enforceable undertakings, reputational damage, and increased insurance premiums.

6. Building a Culture of Safety and Respect

Managing OVA is not just about compliance — it’s about protecting people and sustaining performance.

A strong culture of safety and respect includes:

• Zero tolerance for aggression. Set clear behavioural expectations for clients, customers, and staff.
• Leadership visibility. Leaders model calm, respectful responses to conflict.
• Psychological safety. Encourage reporting and open discussion about incidents without blame.
• Early intervention. Address triggers before they escalate.
• Wellbeing integration. Link OVA prevention to broader psychosocial and wellness programs.

The Organisational Payoff

When OVA is managed effectively:

• Staff feel safer, supported, and valued.
• Turnover, absenteeism, and workers’ compensation claims decrease.
• Service quality, reputation, and community trust rise.

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Travis Holland
Managing Director
Holland Thomas

Should you wish to discuss strategies to improve your staff’s safety in their work environment, please feel welcome to contact Holland Thomas.

Passionate about creating safer workplaces our goal is to enhance wellbeing for all concerned, whilst also delivering improved operational and financial performance.

This blog draws on our years of experience delivering our M.A.B.™ Staff Safety Training (Contextualised Prevention and Management of Aggressive Behaviours) across Australia, and the development of My Safety Buddy, our smartphone app and web portal based lone worker safety system.