When aggression turns physical, the safest outcome is almost always to create distance and get help. This course on managing physical aggression in the workplace teaches staff to recognise the warning signs, assess the risk in the moment, remove themselves and others from danger, and respond as a team, using your own workplaces and duress arrangements as the training ground.
What your organisation gains
- Staff who recognise when a situation is becoming dangerous and act before it turns physical.
- A clear first principle: remove yourself and others from danger, de-escalate where safe and call for help.
- Team responses that work with your duress systems, security staff and police.
- Better post-incident support and reporting that strengthens your controls.
Why train with Agilient
Taught by practitioners
Every Agilient consultant has at least 20 years of experience, typically as security managers within large organisations, and has dealt first hand with the issues the course covers.
Built for your organisation
Content, examples and scenarios are shaped around your sites, policies and incident history, not an off-the-shelf syllabus that dates quickly.
Active learning
Participants work through case studies and carry out the activities themselves, so the skills stick after the day.
Designed for you to own
Train-the-trainer options and a strategy for moving the course into your own online learning mean the capability stays in-house.
Why workplaces need to prepare for physical aggression
Safe Work Australia’s 2024 report on work-related violence and aggression counted 65,860 accepted workers’ compensation claims over ten years, 53,139 of them for assault, and found that serious claims rose by 56 per cent between 2017-18 and 2021-22. Clients and customers were the most common source.
Every Australian jurisdiction now has work health and safety regulations on psychosocial hazards in effect, with Victoria’s Occupational Health and Safety (Psychological Health) Regulations 2025 commencing on 01/12/2025. The Safe Work Australia model Code of Practice for managing psychosocial hazards names violence, threats and aggressive behaviour from customers, patients and clients as a hazard employers must manage. The positive duty in the Sex Discrimination Act 1984, in force since 13/12/2022, can also require reasonable and proportionate measures to prevent sexual harassment and sex-based harassment of workers by third parties such as customers.
What the course covers
- Understanding workplace violence How quickly situations can escalate from verbal to physical, and the settings where risk is highest.
- Barriers to resolution How alcohol, drugs, mental illness, distress and frustration affect behaviour and communication.
- Early warning signs Recognising the cues that a person may become physically aggressive.
- Dynamic risk assessment Assessing the situation in the moment and deciding whether to stay, step back or leave.
- Positioning and the environment Using space, barriers and exits, and avoiding being cornered or isolated.
- Removing yourself from danger The first principle: creating distance, protecting others and getting help quickly, rather than physical intervention.
- Team response Duress alarms, codes, communication and coordinating with security staff and police.
- After the incident and scenario training Reporting, debriefs, support, and realistic scenarios in your own workplace settings.
What participants will be able to do
- Recognise the warning signs of physical aggression and assess risk in the moment.
- Use space, positioning and exits to reduce the risk of harm.
- Remove themselves, colleagues and members of the public from danger.
- Activate the organisation’s duress and team response arrangements.
- Report incidents and take part in debriefs to improve controls.
Who should attend
- Frontline and counter staff in higher risk services
- Security officers and concierge staff
- Team leaders and supervisors
- Staff who work alone or visit clients in the community
Choose the level and format that suits you
The course can be run at more than one level, so governance and day-to-day practice are covered together.
- Executive briefing. A short session for executives and boards on accountability, obligations, risk appetite and what good looks like.
- Manager and practitioner workshop. The full course, with case studies and practical exercises for the people who manage the risk day to day.
- Train-the-trainer. Preparing your own trainers to deliver the course inside your organisation, with the materials and guidance to do it well.
- In person or online. Delivered at your premises, at a venue you choose, or live online through Microsoft Teams and other platforms.
Bringing the capability in-house, with Agilient as your partner
More organisations want to build and keep this capability within their own teams. Agilient supports that. After delivering the course, Agilient can train your trainers, help your learning and development team plan the conversion of the course into an online module, and stay involved as an adviser, so your people deliver it with the benefit of Agilient’s hands-on experience.
How it works
- Get in touch. Tell us which course you are interested in, roughly how many people, where and when.
- Scoping conversation. An Agilient consultant discusses your people, sites, policies and recent incidents, and agrees the level, format and duration with you.
- Tailored content. Case studies, scenarios and exercises are built around your own environment and procedures.
- Delivery and handover. The course is delivered in person or online. Agilient can then train your trainers, support an online version, or review related procedures, controls or risk assessments.
Related Agilient services and resources
- De-escalation Training for Customer-Facing Staff
- Physical Restraint and Personal Protection Training for roles that may require physical intervention
- Duress alarm consulting
- Case study: protecting frontline service staff after a surge in occupational violence
- Building security consultants
Frequently asked questions
Does this course teach restraint or defensive tactics?
No. Agilient’s first principle is that staff remove themselves from the dangerous situation, de-escalate where it is safe and call for help. Where your organisation needs it, Agilient provides separate Physical Restraint and Personal Protection Training, aligned with your policies.
Should staff complete the de-escalation course first?
It is recommended. Most organisations run De-escalation Training for Customer-Facing Staff first or combine the two into one program, because good communication prevents most incidents from becoming physical.
Can the course be run at our own sites?
Yes. Agilient prefers to run scenarios in your own workplaces where possible, so staff practise using the real layout, exits and duress arrangements.
How long is the course?
Duration is agreed with you. Courses range from a two-hour briefing to a one, one and a half or two-day program, depending on your audience, risks and how much practical work you want included.
Can the course be delivered online?
Yes. Agilient delivers courses in person at your premises and live online through Microsoft Teams and other platforms, and can combine the two for teams spread across several locations.
Can our own team deliver this training in future?
Yes. Agilient runs train-the-trainer sessions so your people can deliver the course themselves, and can work with your learning and development team on a strategy for converting the course into an online module for induction and refreshers.
Can individuals book a place on this course?
No. Agilient runs its training in-house for organisations rather than as public courses, so individual places are not available. Group size, timing and content are agreed with each organisation.
Is this an accredited course?
No, and that is deliberate. It is not a nationally recognised qualification that follows a fixed syllabus, which can date quickly. It is designed and delivered by practitioners who have dealt with these issues first hand, tailored to your organisation, and built on case studies, active learning and practical exercises.
Ready to build this capability in your organisation?
Tell us what you need. Agilient will recommend the right level, format and duration, and tailor the course to your organisation.
Other in-house security training courses
- Security Risk Assessment and Management Course
- Security Threat Assessment Training
- Insider Threat Training
- Security Awareness Training Course
- Customer Aggression Training for Managers
- De-escalation Training for Customer-Facing Staff
- Patient De-escalation Training for Healthcare Workers
- Occupational Violence and Aggression (OVA) Training for Healthcare
- Crisis Management Team Training and Tabletop Exercises
- Situational Awareness and Active Armed Offender Training
- Physical Restraint and Personal Protection Training
- CPTED Training: Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design
Sources
- Work-related violence and aggression in Australia, Safe Work Australia
- Preventing workplace violence and aggression guide, Safe Work Australia
- Model Code of Practice: Managing psychosocial hazards at work, Safe Work Australia
Last updated 29/09/2026.