Workplace Violence Report
An HR/security-owned template for documenting threats, altercations, or violent conduct involving employees, contractors, or visitors.
I. Overview
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flowchart LR
A["Verbal handling of threats\nwith no formal record"] -- "Need for safety response and legal accountability" --> B["Formal Workplace\nViolence Report"]
style A fill:#f9f9f9,stroke:#333,stroke-width:3px
style B fill:#e1f5fe,stroke:#01579b,stroke-width:3px
Definition: The Workplace Violence Report documents any threat, altercation, or act of violence involving employees, contractors, or visitors, capturing what happened, who was involved, and what immediate and follow-up action was taken.
Features:
( Ownership ) Jointly owned by HR and physical security.
( Legal Involvement ) Legal counsel is involved for incidents that may carry criminal or employment-law implications.
( Duty of Care ) Addresses the immediate safety, legal liability, and duty-of-care obligations these incidents carry.
( Accountability ) Undocumented handling leaves the organization unable to demonstrate it responded appropriately.
II. Structure & Process
sequenceDiagram
participant Witness as "Reporter / Witness"
participant Security as "Physical Security"
participant HR as "HR"
participant Legal as "Legal Counsel"
Witness->>Security: "Report threat or incident"
Security->>Security: "Ensure immediate safety, separate parties"
Security->>HR: "File incident report"
HR->>Legal: "Escalate if criminal or legal exposure"
Legal->>HR: "Advise on disciplinary/legal action"
HR->>Witness: "Close loop on protective measures"
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Date, Time & Location | When and where the incident occurred |
| Parties Involved | Names and roles of the individuals involved, including any witnesses |
| Incident Type | Category, e.g. verbal threat, physical altercation, weapon involved, intimidation |
| Description | Objective, factual account of what was said or done |
| Immediate Action Taken | Steps taken at the time (separation, security called, law enforcement notified) |
| Injuries / Medical Attention | Whether anyone was injured and what medical response occurred |
| HR / Legal Follow-up | Disciplinary action, legal referral, or protective measures put in place |
| Confidentiality Handling | Access restrictions applied to the report given its sensitivity |
Immediate safety takes priority over documentation; the written report is completed as soon as the situation is stabilized, and access to it is restricted to HR, security, and legal.
III. Expected Benefits & Implications
| Benefit | Where It Shows Up |
|---|---|
| Demonstrable duty of care | Organization can show it responded appropriately if challenged legally |
| Consistent legal escalation | Nothing criminal or employment-law-relevant slips through informal handling |
| Protective follow-through | Documented confirmation that safety measures were actually implemented, not just promised |
A workplace violence report earns its value less as an HR record and more as evidence the organization took a threat seriously at the time, not just in hindsight — the follow-up field confirming a protective measure was actually implemented is the one practitioners most often skip, and it’s precisely the field a plaintiff’s attorney or auditor asks about first. Treat “follow-up confirmed” as a required close-out step, not an optional afterthought.
Related: Intern Incident Report, Structural Damage Incident Report
Last updated 18 Aug 2026, 00:00 UTC.