Occupational violence and aggression risk checklist

Aggression toward staff is the fastest-growing category of workplace harm in customer-facing sectors. This checklist reviews the four areas where violence risk hides: the physical environment, work practices, client factors, and the systems that respond when prevention fails.

Who it's for: Managers in retail, healthcare, government services, housing and any role where staff face the public, especially at counters, in waiting areas, or alone.

Free to use and adapt · Last updated 2026-07-21 · No email required

A. Environment

Entry points, counters and interview rooms have clear sightlines; no blind corners where staff work
Interview and consult rooms have two exits or the staff member sits nearest the door
Duress alarms are installed at counters and in rooms, tested monthly, and staff know they exist
Lighting is adequate in car parks, entries and after-hours access routes
Waiting areas are designed to reduce frustration: seating, queue visibility, estimated waits communicated
Physical barriers or counter depth protect cash-handling and medication points

B. Work practices

Opening and closing are done by two people, or by one person with a monitored device and documented procedure
Cash holdings are minimised and movements varied
Staffing levels at known peak-aggression times (waits, refusals, evenings) are reviewed against incident data
Service refusals, evictions and debt conversations follow a script staff are trained on
Staff can discreetly summon a colleague to any interaction that is deteriorating

C. Client factors

Client records support risk flags, and flags are visible at the point of service or booking
Flags carry the reason and required precautions, not just a symbol
Known triggers (refusals, delays, medication, custody matters) are identified per service line
High-flag clients are scheduled to double-staffed times, controlled locations, or senior staff
Flag reviews remove stale entries so the system keeps staff trust

D. Systems and response

All aggression, including verbal abuse and threats, is reported through a standard form and actually gets reported
Incident data is reviewed at least quarterly for patterns by site, time and service
Client-facing staff have current de-escalation training; high-risk teams have refreshers
A raised alarm gets a defined response in a defined time, tested by drill
Affected staff receive follow-up and support, and repeat exposure is managed, not normalised

Rating and actions

Any unticked item in sections A or D that relates to alarms, sightlines or response is a priority finding. Record each finding below with an owner and date, and bring the incident data to the review.

Findings: [___]. Priority findings: [___]. Completed by [name] on [date]. Next review: [date].

How to use it

Getting the most out of this template

Walk the site while completing sections A and B. Aggression risk lives in floor plans and rosters, not in policy documents.
Cross-check section D against your actual incident reports. If reports are rare but staff describe abuse as routine, the reporting system is the finding.
Prioritise anything involving alarms, sightlines and response times. These decide how bad the worst day gets.
Repeat annually and after any serious incident, and keep the completed copies as due-diligence evidence.

This template is general information, not legal advice. Requirements differ by jurisdiction and industry; check the guidance published by Safe Work Australia and your state WHS regulator and seek advice for your specific circumstances.

Questions

Frequently asked

What counts as occupational violence?

Any incident where a person is abused, threatened or assaulted in circumstances arising from their work: physical assault, verbal abuse, threats, spitting, stalking and aggressive behaviour from clients, patients, customers or the public.

Is verbal abuse a reportable incident?

Yes. Verbal abuse and threats are both harmful in themselves and the strongest predictor of later physical incidents. Teams that only report physical assault are flying blind on their real risk.

What controls work best against client aggression?

In order of strength: designing the environment (sightlines, exits, barriers, waiting experience), changing work practices (double-staffing high-risk interactions, scheduling flagged clients deliberately), visible flags with reasons, de-escalation training, and a fast, tested alarm response for when prevention fails.

The template covers the paperwork. Duress covers the response.

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