Zero tolerance policies are designed to create a strong deterrent effect by ensuring that any violation, no matter how minor, is met with consistent and inflexible punishment. I understand that but the Health & Safety Executive’s definition of a reportable incident at work, whether within a building premises or working remotely outside away from the organisation’s main office area, is … Read more
My first recollection of being knowingly introduced to this subject was around 2001 watching a video regarding the subject of Excited Delirium. Back then the heading of cocaine induced psychosis and the disproportionate superhuman strength it gave to people was one of the non-clinical terms used. This I felt had the unfortunate bias of implying if people displayed the behaviours … Read more
In the realm of organisational management, particularly in sectors dealing with vulnerable populations such as healthcare facilities, schools, and correctional institutions, the discourse around physical restraint has undergone significant evolution. Restraint reduction programmes have emerged as a seemingly noble initiative aimed at minimising the use of physical force in managing challenging behaviours. However, beneath the surface of good intentions lies … Read more
QMC recorded 1,800 incidents of aggression, violence and harassment during 2022-23. Notting University Hospital recorded 1,806 incidents. Staff have been hit, spat at, threatened, verbally and racially abused. What are some of the main triggers for the abuse of staff: Treating drunks Rival gangs People high on drugs People with mental health problems Homeless people, seeking a place of warmth … Read more
Up to the year ending March 2023 overall there were 2.1 million offences against the person recorded. This was a 20% rise compared with the pre-covid pandemic year ending March 2020. Violence with injury was 6% higher (573,791 offences) than levels recorded in the year ending March 2020 (540,870 offences). Violence without injury increased by 14% to 828,673 offences compared … Read more
I was reading several news articles related to inquests, where several things stood out. In one case, a point that particularly caught my attention was that when asked about the ‘assumption the two-security staff working on the night of incident had been trained in physical intervention’, the person replied “yes”. Assume…you know what you get when you break down the … Read more
Yet again I received a phone call stating that because someone conducting a review had not heard of a particular technique that was being used, the reviewing person was saying that what they (the person being reviewed) had done was wrong! My question to the reviewing person, who as it turned out had no known physical intervention or conflict management … Read more
As reported in the New York Times on the 11th October 2023, “California has become the first US state to ban the use of “excited delirium” as a cause of death, rejecting a term that prominent medical associations have said is rooted in bias and is often used to justify the deaths of people in police custody”. The New York … Read more
We use well known phrases like the Health & Safety Executives (HSE) definition of work-related violence… Any incident in which a person is abused, threatened or assaulted in circumstances relating to their work, whether the behaviours are explicit or implicit in nature or design, is a reportable incident. What does the HSE’s Definition Mean to You? These incidents are not … Read more
Violence against shop workers is a pervasive issue. According to a survey conducted by the British Retail Consortium, there were around 455 incidents of violence or abuse towards retail staff each day in the UK. That means there are over 160,000+ reported incidents per year, that’s before we start thinking about the un-reported incidents. Why are some (lots according to … Read more
