Spotting the Signs: How Early Intervention Prevents Workplace Incidents

Spotting the Signs: How Early Intervention Prevents Workplace Incidents

Introduction: The Quiet Build-Up to Workplace Incidents

It’s been said that disasters such as airplane crashes are often the culmination of seven decision points, where if even one of those decisions had been made differently, the disaster would have been averted.

Now, think about our everyday workplace incidents involving aggressive behaviours or occupational violence and aggression (OVA). In reality, these may be the result of just two or three missed decision points, moments when action could have changed the outcome.

The challenge is that the warning signs are not always easy to spot.

  • Staff may not know what to look for.
  • Staff may not have the time to actively look for it.
  • Staff may be looking for the wrong signs
  • Or, most concerningly, staff have become desensitised to the very indicators that should raise alarm.

And even when they do spot these signs, do they know what to do next? That’s where early intervention becomes a game changer.

Why Early Intervention is the Missing Link

Early intervention is more than a safety catchphrase, it’s the critical bridge between identifying risks and preventing incidents.

In the context of workplace safety and managing aggressive behaviours, it means:

  • Recognising the early signals that aggression may occur.
  • Acting before situations escalate to verbal abuse or physical assault.
  • Equipping staff with skills, processes, and confidence to take preventive action.

Many organisations focus heavily on post-incident management, incident reporting, workers’ compensation claims, and debriefing sessions. While these are essential, they’re reactive. By that point, the harm has already occurred, and costs, financial, reputational, and human, are mounting.

Proactive safety culture, where staff know how to spot early signs and what to do, is what separates high-performing, low-risk organisations from those constantly “putting out fires.”

The Cost of Missing the Signs

If you’re not convinced about early intervention, consider this – in Australia, approximately 16% of workers’ compensation claims come from work-related violence and aggression.

  • Average claim cost: $40,000
  • Serious claim cost: Often exceeds $400,000

But those numbers don’t tell the whole story. The human and organisational costs run much deeper:

  • Lower staff morale and confidence
  • Increased absenteeism and burnout
  • Higher turnover and recruitment costs
  • Loss of organisational knowledge
  • Damaged reputation with clients and the community

In other words, by the time you’re “managing” an incident, you’ve already lost, financially, operationally, and culturally.

What the Early Warning Signs Look Like

Workplace aggression often follows a pattern. It rarely comes completely out of nowhere. Early indicators may be subtle, but with training, your staff can learn to spot them quickly.
Some examples include:

  1. Situational Triggers
  • Long waiting times or perceived unfairness
  • Changes in procedures that cause frustration
  • Miscommunication or misunderstanding
  1. Environmental Factors
  • Poor lighting, cramped spaces, or lack of privacy
  • Overcrowded waiting areas
  • No clear exit routes for staff
  1. Changes in Behaviour
  • Increased irritability or agitation in a client, patient, or member of the public
  • Withdrawal from normal interaction
  • Sudden mood swings
  • Changes in what is usual behaviour for an individual
  1. Verbal Warning Signs
  • Raised voice or abrupt speech
  • Sarcasm, insults, or belittling comments
  • Threatening language, even if indirect
  1. Physical Indicators
  • Clenched fists, pacing, or restlessness
  • Staring or glaring in an intimidating manner
  • Breathing becoming rapid or shallow

Why Staff Miss the Signs

Even the most experienced staff can miss these indicators for several reasons:

  • Lack of awareness or training: They’ve never been taught what to look for.
  • Time pressure: Workload prevents them from observing behavioural cues.
  • Misinterpretation: They normalise the warning signs of aggressive behaviours as harmless stress.
  • Desensitisation: Frequent exposure leads to normalising unsafe behaviour.

This is why building knowledge, confidence, and habits is essential, without them, the signs go unnoticed or unaddressed.

From Recognition to Action: The Intervention Steps

Spotting the signs is only the first half of early intervention. The second half, knowing what to do, is just as important.

Effective intervention involves:

  1. Situational Assessment
  • Is the person’s behaviour escalating?
  • Is anyone at immediate risk?
  • What’s the safest way to de-escalate?
  1. Communication Strategies
  • Maintain calm, steady tone
  • Use active listening to understand the root cause
  • Avoid language that challenges or provokes
  1. Positioning and Safety
  • Maintain physical space between yourself and the person
  • Keep yourself near an exit if possible
  • Avoid blocking the person’s movement
  1. Calling for Support
  • Use agreed workplace methods to call for support
  • Ensure all staff know escalation protocols
  1. Post-Incident Review
  • Document the situation clearly and factually
  • Share lessons learned with the team

Building a Culture of Early Intervention

Changing the workplace safety culture requires more than a one-off training session, it’s a long-term shift in mindset. This includes:

  • Training staff at all levels in recognising and responding to aggression
  • Embedding policies and procedures that support proactive behaviour
  • Encouraging reporting of near misses
  • Modelling safe practices from leadership down
  • Providing debrief and support to staff after incidents or near misses

When early intervention is part of your daily workflow, it becomes instinctive, and that’s when the benefits are most visible.

The ROI of Prevention

Many organisations hesitate to invest in proactive training due to budget constraints. But here’s the reality: prevention costs far less than the fallout from a single serious incident.

Investments in training and prevention:

  • Reduce compensation claims
  • Minimise absenteeism and turnover
  • Strengthen your reputation as an employer of choice
  • Increase productivity and staff engagement

If budget is a concern, Holland Thomas can assist you in accessing Risk Management Funding (RMF) through workers’ compensation insurers, helping you secure external support for safety initiatives.

Your Next Step

Ask yourself:

  • Do my staff know what to look for?
  • Do they know what to do when they see it?
  • Do they feel supported to take early action?

If the answer to any of these is “no” or “not sure,” then it’s time to take proactive steps. Holland Thomas offers tailored training, risk assessments, and business case development to help your organisation shift from reactive to proactive safety management.

 

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Travis Holland

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.