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August 29 2006 - A study for the ILO shows that violence at work is increasing worldwide and has reached epidemic levels in some countries. Situations described range from bullying and mobbing (where a group of workers targets an individual), to threats, sexual harassment and homicide. Professions once regarded as largely immune are increasingly involved in both developed and developing countries.

Violence at work (3rd edition) by Vittorio Di Martino, an international expert on stress and workplace violence, and Duncan Chappell, past president of the New South Wales Mental Health Review, Australia, and the Commonwealth Arbitral Tribunal, UK, also addresses growing concerns about terrorism and the enormous global cost of workplace violence from causes including absenteeism and sick leave.

The authors say:

"Bullying, harassment, mobbing and allied behaviors can be just as damaging as outright physical violence. Today, the instability of many types of jobs places huge pressures on workplaces, and we're seeing more of these forms of violence."

The study considers existing evidence for the extent of workplace violence. The authors cite a survey of the European Union's15 member states in 2000 showing that bullying, harassment and intimidation were widespread. In Germany, a 2002 study estimated that more than 800 000 workers were the victims of mobbing. In Spain, an estimated 22 per cent of officials in public administration were victims of this form of violence. In France, reported acts of aggression against transport workers rose from 3051 in 2001 to 3185 in 2002.

In Japan, 625 572 consultation requests were brought before court counsellors between April 2002 and March 2003 of which almost 32 000 (5.1 per cent) were related to harassment and bullying. This compares to data for April to September 2003 when 9.6 per cent of 51 444 requests concerned bullying and harassment.

The study found that the most vulnerable workers in developing countries include women, migrants and children. In Malaysia, 11 851 rape and molestation cases in the workplace were reported between 1997 and May 2001. Widespread sexual harassment and abuse were major concerns in a number of countries including South Africa, Ukraine, Kuwait and Hong Kong and China.

In South Africa, workers in the health care sector are most at risk. Over one 12-month period, a survey showed 9 per cent of those employed in the private health sector and up to 17 per cent of those in the public sector experienced physical violence.

The study cites improvements in England, Wales and the USA. In England and Wales, there were an estimated 849 000 incidents of workplace violence in 2002-2003, including 431 000 physical assaults and 418 000 threats. This represented a decline from 1.3 million such incidents cited in a previous survey. In the USA, where homicide is the third leading cause of death at work, the number of workplace murders and non-fatal assaults has declined in recent years. Women represent approximately 61 per cent of assault victims. It is suggested that this is because of their concentration in high-risk jobs.

The study identifies the difficulty of calculating the cost of workplace violence. Australia has estimated costs to employers to be between A$6 and 13 billion. Studies show a significant correlation between health-related absences and exposure to violence at work in the European Union.

Growing awareness of the need to tackle workplace violence has led to the development of new and effective prevention strategies. The study highlights a number of best practice examples from local and national governments, global enterprises and trade unions that have successfully implemented zero tolerance polices and prevention training programmes.

Many countries have explicitly recognized violence in occupational health and safety legislation. Argentina, Belgium, Canada, Finland, France, Poland and Sweden are among countries that have recently adopted legislation or amended existing laws and regulations to address workplace violence.

The ILO has also adopted a number of conventions on worker protection and dignity at work, including the 2004 Code of Practice on Workplace violence in services sectors and measures to combat this phenomenon. In addition, the ILO, along with partners at the International Council of Nurses, World Health Organization and Public Services International, have developed framework guidelines to combat workplace violence in the health sector.

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