The Real Cost of Occupational Violence: Why Prevention Makes Good Business Sense

Every incident of occupational violence has a cost. Some costs are immediate and visible, while others are hidden within an organisation's operations, workforce and reputation. Although many aquatic facilities respond effectively to individual incidents, fewer stop to consider the cumulative cost of occupational violence over months and years.

For many Facility Managers, occupational violence is measured by the number of incident reports completed, complaints received or occasions where management intervention is required. While these are important indicators, they represent only a fraction of the true organisational cost.

Across Australia, organisations in healthcare, retail, education and public transport are increasingly investing in occupational violence prevention because they recognise that responding to incidents is significantly more expensive than preventing them. The same principles apply to aquatic facilities.

The question is no longer whether occupational violence exists within the aquatic industry. The question is what it is costing your organisation.

The Immediate Costs Are Easy to Measure

When an incident occurs, the immediate impacts are generally obvious.

Managers spend time responding to the situation, supporting staff, speaking with patrons, completing incident reports and, where necessary, investigating complaints. In more serious circumstances, organisations may also incur workers' compensation costs, legal advice, increased insurance premiums or security expenses.

These costs are tangible and can often be quantified. What is less visible is the cumulative impact of hundreds of smaller incidents that individually appear manageable but collectively consume significant organisational resources.

A ten-minute conversation with an aggressive patron rarely appears in a financial report. However, repeated dozens of times throughout the year, those conversations represent many hours of management time that could otherwise have been invested in staff development, customer experience or operational improvement.

The Hidden Costs Are Often Greater

Australian organisations are increasingly recognising that the greatest costs associated with workplace aggression are often indirect.

Research commissioned by Safe Work Australia found that poor psychosocial safety climates cost Australian employers approximately $6 billion every year through reduced productivity. The same research estimated that depression alone costs Australian employers a further $6.3 billion annually through absenteeism and presenteeism.

While these figures extend beyond occupational violence, they demonstrate an important principle: workplace culture has measurable economic consequences.

For aquatic facilities, the hidden costs may include:

• Reduced staff confidence when enforcing safety rules.

• Increased absenteeism following difficult incidents.

• Higher staff turnover.

• Lower employee engagement.

• Reduced productivity.

• Increased recruitment and induction costs.

• Greater management workload.

• Lost organisational knowledge.

Unlike damaged property or insurance claims, these costs rarely appear on a balance sheet, yet they directly influence organisational performance.

Leadership Time Has a Cost

One of the least recognised consequences of occupational violence is the impact on leadership capacity.

Every hour spent investigating incidents, responding to complaints, supporting distressed staff or managing inappropriate patron behaviour is time unavailable for improving programs, developing employees, engaging with the community or implementing strategic initiatives.

This challenge is not unique to the aquatic industry. Research within Australia's education sector has shown that increasing levels of aggression towards school leaders significantly reduce the time principals can dedicate to educational leadership and school improvement. Similar trends have been observed across healthcare and retail, where leaders report spending increasing amounts of time managing behavioural issues rather than improving services.

For Facility Managers, the same principle applies. Preventing occupational violence is not simply about reducing incidents—it is about allowing leaders to focus on leading.

Workforce Retention is Becoming Increasingly Important

The aquatic industry continues to experience workforce shortages across many parts of Australia.

Recruiting qualified Pool Lifeguards, Swim Teachers and Duty Managers requires considerable investment. Retaining experienced employees is even more valuable.

Royal Life Saving Australia's National Aquatic Industry Workforce Report found that approximately 90% of aquatic workers have experienced occupational violence or aggression, while one in four experience it frequently. Almost 44% of workers reported feeling unsafe at work because of abusive or aggressive behaviour. These findings highlight that occupational violence is no longer an isolated issue but a widespread workforce challenge across the industry.

When experienced employees leave because they no longer feel supported, organisations lose operational knowledge, mentoring capability and valuable relationships with their communities.

Replacing these employees requires recruitment, onboarding, induction and ongoing training, all of which represent avoidable organisational costs.

Other Industries Are Investing in Prevention

Many of Australia's largest employers have fundamentally changed the way they approach occupational violence.

Major retailers have invested in public awareness campaigns, improved incident reporting systems, staff training, body-worn cameras and stronger organisational policies following significant increases in customer aggression.

Healthcare organisations have introduced comprehensive violence prevention frameworks that combine environmental design, leadership, reporting systems, de-escalation training and post-incident support.

These organisations have recognised a simple reality.

Preventing occupational violence is less expensive than continually responding to it.

The aquatic industry has an opportunity to learn from these experiences rather than repeating them.

Prevention is a Sound Business Investment

Safe Work Australia and Deloitte Access Economics have demonstrated that improving work health and safety delivers benefits extending well beyond regulatory compliance.

Their research estimates that eliminating work-related injury and illness would increase Australia's economy by approximately $28.6 billion each year, create more than 185,000 additional full-time equivalent jobs and improve productivity across the economy.

While aquatic facilities represent only a small part of the Australian economy, the underlying principle remains the same. - Investing in prevention creates stronger organisations.

Facilities that actively support their staff, communicate clear behavioural expectations and continually strengthen workplace culture are more likely to retain experienced employees, improve customer experiences and reduce the operational disruption associated with occupational violence.

Building Capability Before Problems Escalate

The most effective organisations do not wait for occupational violence to become a significant organisational issue before taking action. They establish clear expectations, provide practical resources for staff, support consistent leadership and reinforce respectful behaviour before incidents occur.

The No Excuse for Abuse campaign has been developed to help aquatic facilities take exactly this approach. Facilities can begin by accessing the free campaign toolkit, introducing consistent messaging that reinforces respectful behaviour and demonstrates organisational support for staff.

For facilities wanting to embed the initiative more broadly, becoming a Program Partner provides access to professional signage, toolbox talks, leadership resources, staff awareness materials and practical training designed specifically for aquatic environments.

This staged approach enables facilities to progressively strengthen workplace culture while reducing the organisational costs associated with occupational violence and aggression.

Prevention Costs Less Than Response

Every aquatic facility invests in drowning prevention because the consequences of doing nothing are unacceptable.

Occupational violence should be viewed through the same lens.

The financial costs may not always appear immediately, but the operational impacts accumulate over time through lost productivity, increased management workload, reduced staff confidence, workforce turnover and declining organisational capability.

Creating respectful workplaces is therefore not simply an investment in employee wellbeing.

It is an investment in operational performance, workforce sustainability and the long-term success of every aquatic facility.

Take the Next Step

Become a Program Partner to embed the campaign through professional signage, toolbox talks, leadership resources and staff training designed specifically for Australia's aquatic industry.

Become a Program Partner