Where am I most likely to be at risk?

Each year, half the assaults, and a third of threats, are by clients or customers already known to you. The most risky situations include:

• working on your own. This may be in clients' homes, in an isolated office, or at times of the day when your colleagues are off duty
• working under pressure, so that your clients are frustrated by poor services due to staff shortage or heavy workloads
• when you can offer no alternative support to a client
• in a crowded workplace that is too busy, with public areas that lack seating, refreshments, a telephone service or recreation area for children
• when a customer is stealing or attempting fraud, eg using a stolen credit card
• handling customers who have drunk excessive amounts of alcohol, or taken drugs
• when you confront a suspected shoplifter.