Aggression, Stress & Wellbeing

A customer at the returns desk shouts abuse and threatens you but never touches you. Under HSE's definition of work-related violence, how does this incident count?

• AIt is a customer-service matter, because nobody was physically hurt
• BIt is only work-related violence if the customer actually strikes you
• CIt only counts as violence if the same customer threatens you again
• DIt is work-related violence, because abuse and threats count as well as assault✓

Answer: HSE defines work-related violence as any incident in which a person is abused, threatened or assaulted in circumstances relating to their work. Verbal abuse and threats are the most common types of incident, with physical attacks comparatively rare, so a threat counts even without contact. Waiting for a physical strike or a repeat incident, or treating it as purely a customer-service issue, ignores that serious or persistent verbal abuse can damage health through anxiety or stress.

Which of these jobs does HSE list among those most at risk of violence at work?

• AA warehouse picker working from a screen list
• BA designer drawing plans at home
• CA data-entry clerk who never meets the public
• DA cashier taking payments from customers✓

Answer: HSE says employees whose job requires them to deal with the public can be at risk from violence, and lists cash transactions among the highest-risk activities alongside giving a service, caring, education, delivery and representing authority. A cashier has face-to-face contact with the public and handles money, both of which HSE flags. Clerks, pickers and home-based designers have no public contact in these roles, so they are not in the groups HSE names.

A visitor to the care home swears at you and threatens to 'sort you out'. Nothing physical happens and you calm the situation. What should you do next?

• AAsk a colleague to keep an eye on the visitor and carry on working
• BReport it promptly and fully through the workplace procedure✓
• CLog it privately in your own notebook in case you need it later
• DTreat it as part of the job and mention it only if it happens again

Answer: HSE asks employers to record all incidents of work-related violence, including verbal abuse and threats, so that patterns can be found and action targeted. Reporting promptly and fully through the procedure gives the employer the complete picture it needs. Accepting abuse as part of the job, keeping a private note or simply carrying on means the incident never reaches the record and nothing changes.

You are a housing officer due to visit a tenant who has a history of threatening staff. What arrangement does HSE guidance suggest?

• AAsk the tenant to sign a promise of good behaviour first
• BVisit alone but leave your phone switched on
• CGo outside normal hours when the tenant is calmer
• DBe accompanied by a colleague for the visit✓

Answer: HSE's violence guidance says staff who have to meet a suspected aggressor at their home or a remote location should be accompanied by a colleague. Going alone with a phone, visiting out of hours or relying on a promise from the tenant still leaves you facing the risk on your own, and late evening or early morning work with fewer people around is a recognised violence risk for lone workers.

You are a community carer visiting clients' homes alone all day. Which arrangement does HSE describe for keeping lone workers safe?

• AA single call to your manager at the end of each week
• BCarrying a printed list of client addresses in the car
• CA text message to the office only when you feel something is wrong
• DContact with your employer at pre-agreed regular intervals✓

Answer: HSE lists pre-agreed intervals of regular contact between the lone worker and employer, using phones, radios or email, as one of the ways to monitor lone workers, alongside a robust system to confirm they have returned to base or home. Contact only when something feels wrong or once a week gives no check-in if you are hurt and cannot call. A list of addresses helps you find clients but is not a way to call for help.

Which statement matches HSE's definition of stress?

• AAny mental health condition that a worker brings to work from home life
• BThe adverse reaction a person has to excessive pressure or other demands placed on them✓
• CA weakness in a person that makes them unable to cope with ordinary work
• DThe normal daily pressure that motivates people to perform at their best

Answer: HSE defines stress as the adverse reaction a person has to excessive pressure or other types of demand placed upon them. Pressure itself is normal and motivates us; stress begins when there is too much of it without the chance to recover. HSE stresses that stress is not a weakness and can happen to anyone, and it is not limited to conditions brought in from outside work.

Your employer is doing a stress risk assessment using HSE's Management Standards. Which of these is one of the six areas it looks at?

• AThe distance and cost of your journey to work
• BThe salary you are paid compared with colleagues
• CThe number of years you have been in the job
• DThe control you have over how you do your work✓

Answer: HSE's Management Standards cover six risk factors for work-related stress: demands, control, support, relationships, role and change. Control means how much say you have over the way you do your work, and 'demands' covers workload, work patterns and the work environment. Pay, commuting and length of service are not among the six areas HSE names.

A normally cheerful colleague has become withdrawn, tearful and started arriving late. According to HSE, what could this change suggest?

• AA conduct problem that should be dealt with through the disciplinary process
• BSigns of stress, which can also be symptoms of other conditions✓
• CNothing significant, as everyone has a bad week sometimes
• DSigns of drug misuse, which always show up as lateness

Answer: HSE says a change in the way someone acts, thinks or feels can be a sign of stress, for example being withdrawn, more tearful, or arriving for work later. These signs can also be symptoms of other conditions, which is why a worried manager should encourage the person to see their GP. Treating the change as a discipline matter, assuming drug misuse or dismissing it misses the chance to act early on work pressure.

You feel stressed and the main source of pressure is your line manager. What does HSE's employee guidance advise?

• AKeep it to yourself, because raising it could be seen as a sign of weakness in you
• BTake sick leave until the manager is moved, then return to work
• CReport the manager directly to HSE, which is always the first step in such cases
• DCheck what procedure exists, or talk to a representative, HR or counselling✓

Answer: HSE's guide for employees says that if the source of pressure is your line manager you should find out what procedures are in place to deal with this, and otherwise talk to your trade union or employee representative, HR or an Employee Assistance Programme or counselling service. Stress is not a weakness and hiding it lets the situation worsen. Going off sick until the manager moves or going straight to HSE are not the routes the guidance describes.

Your employer's drug and alcohol policy covers 'misuse'. Based on HSE guidance, which of these falls within drug and alcohol misuse at work?

• ADrinking alcohol on a day off, well away from the workplace
• BMisusing medicines or solvents, as well as alcohol and illegal drugs✓
• COnly dependence, because occasional misuse is not a safety issue
• DIllegal drug use, but not alcohol, because alcohol is legal to buy

Answer: HSE describes drug and alcohol misuse as the use of illegal drugs and the misuse of alcohol, medicines and substances such as solvents. Misuse is not the same thing as dependence, so a worker does not have to be dependent for it to be a safety concern, and warning signs include more accidents or near misses. Limiting the policy to illegal drugs or to dependence would miss misused medicines and solvents, while a drink on a day off is not by itself misuse.