Violence at Work Report

An educational library of workplace documents — purpose, who completes them, when they are used, typical fields, common mistakes and how they connect. Linked to workplace safety, workplace training, occupations, industries and employment documents. Informational only — template examples, not legal advice or official documents; employers remain responsible and using a document does not guarantee compliance.

What a violence at work report is

A violence at work report captures incidents where a worker is subjected to physical assault, threats, verbal abuse or intimidating behaviour in connection with their work. It covers events that may leave no physical injury but still cause harm and reveal a risk.

This is an educational overview with a simplified example. It is not an official template, and it does not provide advice on how to respond to violence — serious incidents may also be matters for the police and for support services.

Purpose

• Record incidents of violence, threats, abuse or aggression at work.
• Capture events even where there is no physical injury.
• Help the employer understand and reduce the risk.
• Support the affected person and any follow-up needed.

Who completes it

• The affected worker, with support, or a manager on their behalf.
• Witnesses may contribute their account.
• The employer decides the process and how reports are handled sensitively.
• Serious incidents may involve the police and support services.

When it is used

• As soon as practicable after an incident of violence or aggression.
• For threats and verbal abuse, not only physical assault.
• When behaviour from the public, customers or others crosses a line.
• Whenever the employer’s process calls for it.

Typical fields

• Date, time and location of the incident.
• Who was affected and a factual account of what happened.
• The nature of the violence — physical, threat, verbal, intimidation.
• Any injury, and immediate support or action taken.
• Whether the police or others were involved, and follow-up.
• Example fields only — adapt to your process and the applicable law.

Common mistakes

• Recording only physical assaults and ignoring threats and abuse.
• Handling sensitive reports without care for the affected person.
• Filing the report without acting on the underlying risk.
• Failing to consider patterns of repeated aggression.

Document workflow

A violence at work report often sits alongside the accident report process and can trigger an incident investigation report and corrective actions. It typically feeds a review of the relevant risk assessment for lone working or public-facing roles, and may link to support and, for serious events, external reporting.

See the related documents below for what is commonly used with and completed after a violence at work report.

Retention (high level)

These reports contain sensitive personal information and are usually kept securely for a period set by the applicable law and the employer’s data-protection duties. This page does not state a period — confirm with the applicable law and the official authority.

Completing and sharing as a PDF

Violence at work reports are commonly completed and stored securely as PDFs because they contain sensitive information. Exporting to PDF supports the record; it does not make it official or guarantee compliance, and access should be controlled.

Employer checklist

• Encourage reporting of threats and abuse, not only physical assault.
• Handle reports sensitively and support the affected person.
• Act on the underlying risk, including for lone and public-facing work.
• Store the sensitive data securely and limit access.

Worker notes

• Report violence, threats and abuse — it helps protect you and others.
• Describe what happened factually, including any injury.
• Ask about support; serious incidents may also be police matters.

Country considerations

How violence at work is recorded, reported and addressed, and any external reporting duty, vary by country, and the official authority differs. This page is general and high-level — not a statement of any country’s law and not legal advice.

Confirm requirements with the official authority for your country and a qualified professional.

Who is responsible

The employer is responsible for assessing and reducing the risk of work-related violence, recording incidents, supporting affected workers, protecting sensitive data and compliance. This page is an educational overview with a template example; it does not advise on responding to violence and does not transfer responsibility.