There are a number of definitions of workplace violence, with some defining it only
in terms of actual or attempted physical assault, 4
and others defining it as any behaviour
intended to harm workers or their organization. 5
Given that non-physical abuse, such as
verbal abuse and threats, can have severe psychological and career consequences, 6
a broad
definition of workplace violence will be used in this document. We use the WHO 7
definition of workplace violence as, “The intentional use of power, threatened or actual,
against another person or against a group, in work-related circumstances, that either results
in or has a high degree of likelihood of resulting in injury, death, psychological harm,
maldevelopment, or deprivation