Safer at work: development and evaluation of an aggression and violence minimization program.

Objective: Aggression and violence are recognized as significant occupational risks for health care staff. A new aggression minimization program for all public health service staff at risk in New South Wales, Australia was developed and evaluated. Twenty-two hours of training was divided into specific modules addressing: general aggression and violence minimization competencies (modules 1 and 4, 10 h); the specific needs of staff working in high-risk environments (module 2, 8 h); and a module for workplace managers and supervisors (module 3, 4 h).