A comprehensive three-tier response framework for preventing workplace violence against security officers and mitigating post-traumatic stress disorder in south African state-owned enterprises
Keywords:
Occupational violence, security personnel, state enterprises, post-traumatic stress disorder, crime prevention, South AfricaAbstract
This phenomenological inquiry examines the escalating workplace violence experienced by security personnel within South African state-owned enterprises (SOEs) and proposes an evidence-based three-tier intervention framework. Through in-depth interviews with 18 purposively selected participants, including frontline security officers from Eskom, Transnet, and Denel, this study reveals that 78% of security personnel encounter workplace violence annually, with 34% manifesting clinical symptoms consistent with post-traumatic stress disorder. The research, grounded in situational crime prevention theory and stress-vulnerability models, demonstrates that systematic implementation of the proposed framework could potentially reduce violent incidents by 65% while simultaneously enhancing officer psychological well-being and operational effectiveness. These findings contribute to the limited body of scholarship addressing occupational violence in developing economic contexts and provide actionable recommendations for safeguarding personnel protecting South Africa's critical infrastructure assets valued at R1.2 trillion.
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