Preventing Workplace Violence

What is the Preventing Workplace Violence?

The Preventing Workplace Violence course from the American Institute of Safety Professionals provides comprehensive training on recognising, preventing, and responding to workplace violence for safety professionals, HR managers, supervisors, security personnel, and any professional responsible for employee safety and workplace security. Workplace violence is a growing concern across every industry: the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that assaults and violent acts are among the leading causes of workplace fatalities, and non-fatal workplace violence incidents affect nearly two million American workers every year. This course develops the competency to design and manage a prevention programme that protects employees, satisfies OSHA’s General Duty Clause obligations, and creates a workplace culture where threats are reported, assessed, and managed before they escalate to violence.

OSHA does not have a specific workplace violence standard, but the General Duty Clause (Section 5(a)(1) of the OSH Act) requires employers to provide a workplace free from recognised hazards that are causing or likely to cause death or serious physical harm. OSHA has issued General Duty Clause citations for workplace violence and has published industry-specific guidelines for healthcare, late-night retail, and social services. The American Institute of Safety Professionals course covers the regulatory framework alongside the practical prevention, intervention, and response competencies that every organisation needs regardless of industry.

The curriculum covers the four types of workplace violence (criminal intent, customer/client, worker-on-worker, personal relationship), risk factor identification and workplace vulnerability assessment, warning sign recognition and behavioural threat indicators, threat assessment and threat management team operations, de-escalation techniques for frontline workers and supervisors, active threat/active shooter awareness and response (Run-Hide-Fight and alternatives), workplace violence prevention programme design and policy development, physical security measures (access control, surveillance, environmental design), post-incident response (crisis management, critical incident stress, investigation), and the programme governance that sustains prevention over time.

All training is delivered 100 percent online through Microsoft Teams and the American Institute of Safety Professionals Learning Management System (LMS). Upon successful completion, graduates receive an American Institute of Safety Professionals certificate, professional wallet card, and official transcript, all employer-verifiable at amiosp.com/student-verifications.

Who should take this course?

• Safety managers and HSE directors responsible for workplace violence prevention programmes
• HR managers and employee relations professionals who manage threat reporting, investigation, and disciplinary processes
• Security managers and corporate security directors responsible for physical security and active threat preparedness
• Supervisors and managers who must recognise warning signs, de-escalate confrontations, and manage threatening employees
• Healthcare safety officers where patient and visitor violence is a daily operational reality
• Retail and hospitality managers where robbery and customer aggression are primary violence risks
• Social service and government agency professionals who work with high-risk client populations
• Any professional designated to serve on a threat assessment and management team

What will you study?

Credentials employers can verify in seconds