In this chapter you will find information on:

• ∎ what to do if you and your colleagues do have a problem

• ∎ preventative measures, and how to implement and monitor them.

Previous chapters have outlined the range of legislation in place to minimize workplace stress and violence, the range of publications that can help you, the organizational costs and benefits of health and safety measures, and how to assess and manage risks and build a business case for a health and safety system. This chapter tells you what you and your colleagues and managers can do – starting right now – to address a problem and prevent it from reoccurring.

What to do if you and your colleagues do have a problem

Information regarding the problem needs to be collated and analysed, but there are situations where the process of data gathering and analysis will be too slow, and action will need to be taken urgently. There must be an emergency route direct to a manager who has the authority to take immediate action, which should be written into any anti-harassment policy statement.

Data collection

The HSE suggests that if a problem is identified, then a formal reporting system should be established, as a first step. For this you need a purposedesigned form similar to the widely used incident report forms (see Figure 7.1). Some authorities have also introduced monthly summary forms. Responsibility for the collection and analysis of this information could rest with health and safety supervisors or with managers. It is important that all staff are made aware of the proper reporting channels.

Data analysis

When the information has been collected it should be analysed to see whether particular kinds of incident are more common than others. These incidents need to be grouped together into types, each of which will have its own identifying pattern – for example, harassment from rowdy groups when on late duty. It is through this type of data gathering that particularly vulnerable jobs or tasks can be identified and a search for preventative measures can begin. If you and your colleagues can suggest some solutions then you should inform your managers.