Data snapshot - Work-related violence and aggression
When a person is abused, threatened, or assaulted in circumstances related to their work, they experience work-related violence and aggression. Work-related violence and aggression includes actions and behaviours like:
- physical assault such as biting, scratching, hitting, kicking, pushing, grabbing, or throwing objects
- intentionally coughing or spitting on someone
- sexual assault or any other form of indecent physical contact
- harassment or aggressive behaviour that creates a fear of violence, such as stalking
- sexual harassment, verbal threats and abuse, or yelling and swearing
- hazing or initiation practices for new or young workers
- gendered violence, and
- violence from a family or domestic relationship when this occurs at the workplace, including if the person’s workplace is their home (SWA, 2021a).
Under the ACT’s WHS laws, persons conducting a business or undertaking (PCBUs) have a duty to eliminate or minimise risks to the health and safety of workers, including the risks posed by work-related violence and aggression.
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National data
Significant numbers of Australian workers experience work-related violence or aggression. A 2016 study by Safe Work Australia investigating bullying and harassment in Australian workplaces found over a third of workers have experienced some form of work-related violence or aggression.
It is important to note that only particularly severe incidents tend to result in workers’ compensation claims. Of particular note, this the number of accepted workers’ compensation claims due to assault by a person or persons increased by 128% between 2000-1 and 2018-19 (SWA, 2021b).
Demographic data
ACT data
Workers’ compensation data
In the ACT there were 500 accepted private sector and ACTPS workers’ compensation claims due to assault or exposure to workplace violence between 2017-18 and 2020-21.
Women and younger workers are disproportionately represented in the claims data. 69% of claims were by women and 43% were by younger workers (aged 18 and under to 34).[1]
During the same period (2017-18 t0 2020-21), over 300 claims were accepted for work-related harassment and/or bullying and other harassment (such as sexual and racial harassment).
The industries with the greatest numbers of such claims are:
- school education
- hospitals
- residential care services
Survey data
Several organisations, including WorkSafe ACT, have recently surveyed ACT workers on their exposure to work-related violence and aggression.
In December 2021, WorkSafe ACT’s Psychosocial Team launched an ongoing proactive campaign focused on the retail and hospitality industry. The aim of this campaign is to gauge current and emerging psychosocial hazards in these industries. As part of this campaign, WorkSafe ACT inspectors have asked workers about their experience of work-related violence and aggression.
Of the almost 500 workers surveyed to March 2022, one in three workers reported having experienced violence or aggression and approximately 8% of workers reported having experienced sexual harassment.
In 2020, the UnionsACT Women’s Committee surveyed 1000 workers in the Territory about their experience of gendered violence in the workplace. They found:
- One in three women or gender diverse people surveyed reported experiencing workplace violence.
- Among women or gender diverse respondents, 81% reported being verbally abused or bullied at work (UnionsACT, 2021).
The Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees’ Association (SDA) has been collecting data on the treatment of workers in the retail and fast-food industries for several years through its ‘No One Deserves a Serve’ campaign. Nationally, 70% of respondents reported that abuse and violence was more frequent due to the COVID-19 pandemic (SDA, n.d.).
WorkSafe ACT’s response
In October 2021 WorkSafe ACT launched its Managing Work-Related Violence and Aggression Plan 2021-23 (the Plan), as part of its Strategy for Managing Work-Related Psychosocial Hazards 2021-23. The Plan outlines WorkSafe ACT’s approach to tackling work-related violence and aggression in the Territory through education and compliance and enforcement activities.
Since the launch of the Plan in October 2021 to June 2022, WorkSafe ACT’s Psychosocial Team has conducted over 1,000 workplace visits and issued over 50 improvement or prohibition notices to PCBUs.
Resources for PCBUs and workers
- WorkSafe ACT - Workplace violence or aggression
- Safe Work Australia - Workplace violence and aggression
- Safe Work Australia - Preventing workplace violence and aggression: National guidance material
- WorkSafe Victoria - ‘It’s never okay’ campaign
References
ACT claims data provided by Workplace Safety and Industrial Relations Division, Chief Minister, Treasury and Economic Development Directorate (private sector and ACPTS claims only).
ABS (Australian Bureau of Statistics) (2022a) Employed Persons by State, Territory and Industry Division of Main Job (ANZSIC), accessed 20 February 2022.
ABS (2022b) Labour Force Status by State, Territory, Greater Capital City and Rest of State (ASGS) and Sex, accessed 20 February 2022.
ABS (2021a) ANZSCO - Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations, 2021, accessed 19 February 2022.
ABS (2021b), National, State and territory population, June 2021, accessed 19 February 2022.
Potter. R.E, Dollard, M.F., and Tuckey, M.R (2016) Bullying & Harassment in Australian Workplaces: Results from the Australian Workplace Barometer Project 2014/2015, Safe Work Australia.
SWA (Safe Work Australia) (2021a) Guide for preventing workplace violence and aggression.pdf (safeworkaustralia.gov.au), accessed 19 February 2022.
SWA (2021b) Final Australian Workers’ Compensation Statistics 2019-20, accessed 19 February2022.
SWA (2021c) Psychosocial_health_and_safety_and_bullying_in_australian_workplaces_6th_edition, accessed 19 February 2022.
SWA (2008) Type of occurrence classification system (TOOCS) 3rd Edition May 2008, accessed 19 April 2022.
Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees’ Association (SDA) (2017) No one deserves a serve – SDA launches major national campaign to stop abuse of retail and fast food workers this Christmas, accessed 19 February 2022.
SDA (n.d.) ‘No one deserves a serve survey results’, accessed 19 February 2022.
UnionsACT (2021) Gendered-Violence-in-the-Workplace-2021-Report, accessed 20 February 2022.
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