Handling Personal Safety

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Note: This is a 1-day course.


It's important that attendees gain a deeper understanding of the sources, causes, symptoms and issues surrounding violence and aggression in the workplace. They focus in on the effect on their physical health/well-being, and on the psychological impact of incidents. A portrait of the 'mind' of an aggressive person before the incident is outlined, to aid initial understanding of the processes that lead to aggression. As well as understanding anger it's equally important to understand fear - our own and that of others! The experience of feeling threatened is discussed openly and strategies are learnt to maintain control when faced with anger, threats or abuse. We often compromise our own personal safety for a number of reasons, arising from such beliefs as 'I've done this before and it went fine', or 'it won't happen to me'. Successfully tackling our own 'blocks' and raising awareness of the risks involved helps to keep all our safety options open as we go about our work. Sometimes staff are just in the wrong place at the wrong time (e.g. threatened by a mugger), but more often than not there is some pattern or path that lead to the act of violence. Attendees on the course learn how to spot when clients are getting agitated and how to handle potential triggers. Whenever there is the possibility of customers or others wanting something that the staff cannot provide, there is potential for conflict. In managing the resulting confrontation particular focus is placed on skills around the four elements of: language, personal space, eye contact and touch. Other strategies practiced in this section include avoiding danger, defusing anger and being pro-active. Most behaviour from customers can be predicted on the basis of case history or experience. Participants consider what happens when they are faced with unpredictable behaviour. They review their options! It cannot be stressed enough: carrying out personal safety risk assessments is fundamental to understanding potentially dangerous situations. Therefore, a clear methodology is outlined for conducting this important but often neglected procedure. Participants get the opportunity to practise simple, safe and effective techniques that would allow them to break free and escape from an aggressor. If involved in a incident, it is vital to get help and ongoing support. Participants learn about reporting, debriefing, counselling, on-going support, management's responsibilities, legal matters and insurance and criminal injuries compensation. The skills learnt are reviewed and an action plan is developed to implement those skills back in the workplace.

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