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Workplace Violence Prevention and De-escalation

Confrontations between employees, assaults on frontline staff by members of the public and violence linked to retrenchments or disciplinary action are workplace realities that security and human resources teams must be ready to manage. This short course builds practical skills in recognising escalating behaviour, de-escalating a tense encounter safely and reporting incidents in line with duties under the Occupational Health and Safety Act.

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What you will be able to do

  • Recognise early behavioural warning signs that a workplace interaction is escalating toward violence.
  • Apply verbal de-escalation techniques to calm an angry employee, customer or member of the public.
  • Use positioning, exit routes and barriers to reduce personal risk during a hostile encounter.
  • Trigger a workplace response protocol when a threat, weapon or assault is reported.
  • Support an affected employee after an incident in line with trauma informed practice.
  • Record and report violent incidents to meet duties under the Occupational Health and Safety Act.

Course outline

  1. 01Understanding workplace violence triggers
  2. 02Recognising escalating behaviour
  3. 03Verbal de-escalation techniques
  4. 04Personal safety positioning and exits
  5. 05Responding to threats and weapons
  6. 06Post incident support for staff
  7. 07Reporting duties and record keeping
  8. 08Building a workplace violence policy

Who should attend

Frontline supervisors, human resources practitioners, receptionists, customer facing staff, security officers and line managers who deal with members of the public or manage disciplinary processes.

Dates, venues and fees

DatesVenueDaysFeeCalendarRegister
6 to 7 Oct 2026Johannesburg2R10,000Register
7 to 8 Oct 2026Cape Town2R10,000Register
8 to 9 Oct 2026Durban2R10,000Register
12 to 13 Oct 2026Pretoria2R10,000Register
13 to 14 Oct 2026Windhoek2US$1,100Register
14 to 15 Oct 2026Gaborone2US$1,100Register
15 to 16 Oct 2026Maseru2US$1,100Register
19 to 20 Oct 2026Mbabane2US$1,100Register
20 to 21 Oct 2026Lusaka2US$1,100Register
21 to 22 Oct 2026Harare2US$1,100Register
22 to 23 Oct 2026Lilongwe2US$1,100Register
26 to 27 Oct 2026Blantyre2US$1,100Register
27 to 28 Oct 2026Mozambique2US$1,100Register
28 to 29 Oct 2026Nairobi2US$1,100Register
29 to 30 Oct 2026Dar es Salaam2US$1,100Register
2 to 3 Nov 2026Kigali2US$1,100Register
3 to 4 Nov 2026Kampala2US$1,100Register
4 to 5 Nov 2026Accra2US$1,100Register
5 to 6 Nov 2026Lagos2US$1,100Register
9 to 10 Nov 2026Cairo2US$1,100Register
10 to 11 Nov 2026Mauritius2US$1,100Register
11 to 12 Nov 2026Dubai2US$1,100Register
12 to 13 Nov 2026Online2US$900Register

Fees are per delegate. South African venues are priced in rand; other locations and online in US dollars. Fees exclude 15% VAT where applicable. Group bookings of three or more delegates from the same organisation qualify for a reduced rate; contact us for a quotation.

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