Occupational Violence and Aggression (OVA) Training for Regulators and Local Government
A Systems-Based OVA Training Program That Creates Long-Term Capability
Most occupational violence and aggression (OVA) training programs create short-term awareness — but very little lasting organisational change.
Traditional workplace violence training is often delivered as a one-off event focused on frontline response skills. Staff may leave training feeling more confident for a short period, but without reinforcement, organisational alignment, leadership support, and systems integration, those benefits quickly diminish.
The OVA Lab takes a different approach.
Our Occupational Violence and Aggression Training Program is a prevention-led, systems-based learning and development solution designed specifically for government, regulatory, public-facing, and high-risk operational environments.
Rather than focusing only on “what to do in the moment,” we help organisations build capability across:
- Executive leadership
- Operational leaders and supervisors
- Frontline staff
- Organisational systems and processes
- Team learning and reflective practice
The result is a sustainable, organisation-wide approach to preventing, managing, and learning from occupational violence and aggression incidents.
Why Most OVA Training Fails to Create Lasting Change
One-Off Training Does Not Change Systems
Many workplace violence and aggression programs:
- Focus only on frontline behaviour
- Emphasise reactive de-escalation techniques
- Ignore organisational and operational contributors
- Are delivered as isolated “tick-box” training
- Fail to reinforce learning over time
This creates a common problem:
staff awareness temporarily increases, but behaviour and systems soon revert to normal operational pressures.
Without leadership alignment, ongoing reinforcement, reflective practice, and operational integration, most OVA training becomes short-lived.
The OVA Lab Difference: A Longitudinal 70–20–10 Learning Model
Embedding OVA Capability Into Everyday Work
The OVA Lab uses the internationally recognised 70–20–10 learning and development framework to ensure learning is embedded into real operational environments over time. Unlike other OVA programs where the 70-20-10 framework is utilised throughout the training session, The OVA Lab approach embeds 70-20-20 in everyday work as a continual learning loop.
10% – Formal Training
Structured learning sessions provide:
- Workplace violence prevention frameworks
- De-escalation and communication strategies
- Scenario-based learning built from real incidents your staff encounter
- Practical operational tools
- The PACER Framework
20% – Social & Team Learning
Capability is reinforced through:
- Team discussions
- Leader-led reflection
- Communities of practice
- Shared learning across teams
70% – On-the-Job Learning
Learning becomes part of daily work through:
- Microlearning prompts
- Reflective practice
- Operational coaching
- Real-world application
- Continuous improvement activities
This longitudinal approach transforms OVA training from a single event into an ongoing organisational capability system.
A Multi-Level, System-Wide Approach to OVA Prevention
Organisational Resilience
We help organisations strengthen:
- Systems of work
- Operational planning
- Psychosocial risk management
- Leadership decision-making
- Incident learning processes
- Prevention-focused safety culture
Team Resilience
Teams develop:
- Shared operational awareness
- Communication consistency
- Reflective learning practices
- Coordinated responses under pressure
Individual Resilience
Participants build:
- Situational awareness
- Communication capability
- De-escalation skills
- Recovery and wellbeing strategies
- Confidence in high-risk interactions
This integrated model supports safer workplaces while minimising disruption to regulatory and operational activities.
The PACER Framework
A Practical Framework for Prevention, Response, and Recovery
The OVA Lab Training Program and OVA risk management approach are built around the PACER Framework:
P – Planning
Preparation before contact
A – Awareness
Recognising behavioural and environmental cues
C – Communication
Using structured communication and de-escalation strategies
E – Exit
Safely disengaging when required
R – Recovery
Supporting recovery, learning, and continuous improvement
PACER is applied across organisational, team, and frontline contexts to create consistency across the workforce.
OVA Training Programs
Strategic OVA Risk Management for Senior Leaders
Designed for executives and senior decision-makers, this briefing explores:
- Organisational contributors to OVA risk
- Psychosocial hazards
- System-wide prevention strategies
- Leadership responsibilities
- Operational resilience
Duration: Approx. 1 hour
[Learn More →]
Operational Implementation of Violence Prevention
Designed for managers and supervisors, this program focuses on:
- Planning safer work systems
- Managing operational pressures
- Supporting staff capability
- Incident response and recovery
- Building team learning cultures
[Learn More →]
Practical Skills for Public-Facing Staff
This practical program develops skills in:
- Early warning signs
- Communication and de-escalation
- Safe disengagement
- Structured responses under pressure
- Real-world scenario application
Role-specific programs available for:
- Authorised officers
- Customer service staff
- Youth workers
- Home care workers
- Library staff
- Regulatory personnel
[Learn More →]
Emerging Risk Awareness for Government Organisations
This specialist program helps organisations understand and manage:
- Sovereign citizen behaviours
- Anti-government extremism
- Escalation indicators
- Risk management strategies
- Safe operational responses
Duration: Approx. 2 hours
[Learn More →]
Evidence-Based and Fully Customised
Every organisation faces different operational pressures, workforce risks, and service environments.
The OVA Lab training programs are:
- Research-informed
- Operationally grounded
- Tailored to your organisation
- Scenario-based
- Flexible in delivery
Programs can be delivered:
- Face-to-face
- Online
- Hybrid
- Modular or staged
Available across Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, and New Zealand.
Build Safer Systems — Not Just Safer Reactions
Effective occupational violence and aggression prevention requires more than teaching staff how to respond in the moment.
It requires organisations to build systems that:
- Reduce risk proactively
- Support safe operational decision-making
- Reinforce learning over time
- Strengthen organisational resilience
- Create sustainable behavioural change
The OVA Lab helps organisations move beyond reactive training and build long-term prevention capability.
Enquire About OVA Training
Contact The OVA Lab to discuss your organisation’s risks, workforce needs, and operational environment.
We’ll work with you to design a tailored occupational violence and aggression training solution aligned to your workforce and operational requirements.
Evidence-Based and Fully Customised Training
Every organisation faces different operational pressures, workforce risks, and service environments.
The OVA Lab training programs are:
- Research-informed
- Operationally grounded
- Tailored to your organisation
- Scenario-based
- Flexible in delivery
Programs can be delivered:
- Face-to-face
- Online
- Hybrid
- Modular or staged
Available across Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, and New Zealand.
Build Safer Systems — Not Just Safer Reactions
Effective occupational violence and aggression prevention requires more than teaching staff how to respond in the moment.
It requires organisations to build systems that:
- Reduce risk proactively
- Support safe operational decision-making
- Reinforce learning over time
- Strengthen organisational resilience
- Create sustainable behavioural change
The OVA Lab helps organisations move beyond reactive training and build long-term prevention capability.
Enquire About OVA Training
Contact The OVA Lab to discuss your organisation’s risks, workforce needs, and operational environment.
We’ll work with you to design a tailored occupational violence and aggression training solution aligned to your workforce and operational requirements.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Looking for occupational violence and aggression training in Melbourne, across Australia, or in New Zealand? Here are answers to common questions about OVA training and workplace violence prevention.
Occupational violence and aggression (OVA) refers to situations where a worker is abused, threatened, or assaulted in the course of their work, including interactions with clients, customers, or members of the public.
OVA can include:
- Verbal abuse and threats
- Intimidation and harassment
- Physical violence
- Online or phone-based aggression
In government and public-facing roles, managing these risks is critical to ensuring staff safety, service quality, and compliance with workplace health and safety obligations.
Most occupational violence and aggression training focuses on frontline response techniques only.
The OVA Lab Training Program takes a broader approach by:
- Addressing the system-level causes of workplace violence and aggression
- Building capability across executives, leaders, and frontline staff
- Using a 70–20–10 learning model to embed learning over time
- Focusing on prevention, response, recovery, and organisational learning
This ensures your organisation does not just respond to incidents—but actively reduces and prevents OVA risks.
The 70–20–10 model is a widely used learning framework that recognises that most workplace learning occurs outside formal training.
- 70% – learning through real-world experience
- 20% – learning through team interaction and collaboration
- 10% – formal training sessions
The OVA Lab Training Program applies this model to ensure learning is continuous, practical, and embedded in everyday work—not just a one-day course.
Other OVA training providers incorporate 70-20-10 in a single training session. This means during a single session, learners will participate in:
- 10% theory delivery
- 20% group discussion
- 70% practical application
Research shows that the learning from a single OVA training session and any benefits gained last only a few weeks up to a few months at best.
he program is a multi-layered learning and development solution, which may include:
- Instructor-led occupational violence and aggression training sessions
- Role-specific frontline training packages
- Leader facilitation guides and discussion resources
- Communities of practice
- Microlearning tools for ongoing development
- Real-world scenarios and case studies
Content is tailored to your organisation’s risk profile and operating environment.
PACER is the core framework used throughout The OVA Lab Training Program:
- P – Planning (before contact)
- A – Awareness (during contact)
- C – Communication (during contact)
- E – Exit (during contact)
- R – Recovery (after contact)
This model ensures a structured approach to:
- Preventing workplace violence
- Managing interactions safely
- Supporting recovery and organisational learning
or Australian cities, and New Zealand.
Melbourne and Victoria
Melbourne is our primary location, with regular delivery across:
- Melbourne metropolitan area
- Regional and rural Victoria
- Government workplaces and operational environments
Australia-Wide Delivery
We deliver occupational violence and aggression training across:
- Sydney
- Brisbane
- Canberra
- Adelaide
- Perth
- Hobart
- Darwin
- Major regional centres
The OVA Lab training providers commonly deliver programs onsite or travel to workplaces across Australia, ensuring accessibility regardless of location.
New Zealand Delivery
Training is also available across New Zealand, including:
- Auckland
- Wellington
- Christchurch
- Regional locations
Flexible Delivery Options
Training can be delivered as:
- In-person (onsite training)
- Remote / online training
- Hybrid learning solutions
This ensures consistent, high-quality OVA training for single sites, geographically isolated, or distributed workforces.
Typical training durations include:
- Executive briefing: approximately 1 hour
- Specialist training (anti-government extremism / sovereign citizens): approximately 2 hours
- Full OVA learning and development program: full day
Programs can also be delivered in modular or staged formats depending on organisational needs.
Yes. The OVA Lab Training Program is fully customised to your organisation.
Customisation may include:
- Real-life scenarios based on your workplace
- Role-specific learning pathways
- Alignment with internal policies and procedures
- Flexible delivery formats and scheduling
Customised training ensures learning is relevant, practical, and immediately applicable to your workforce.
Yes.
Participants learn how to:
- Recognise early warning signs of aggression
- Communicate effectively under pressure
- Apply structured de-escalation strategies
- Exit situations safely when necessary
These skills are taught using practical, scenario-based learning to support real-world application.
Yes.
The program includes integrated content on:
- Sovereign citizen behaviours
- Anti-government extremism risks
A dedicated 2-hour specialist
Yes.
Workplace violence and aggression is recognised as a work health and safety risk that must be actively managed by organisations.
The OVA Lab Training Program supports organisations to:
- Identify and manage OVA risks
- Build safer systems of work
- Improve staff safety and wellbeing
- Comply with general WHS duties and psychosocial regulations
Many workplace violence training programs:
- Are delivered as one-off sessions
- Focus only on frontline response
- Do not address organisational systems
- Are designed and delivered from single discipline perspectives, such as ex-police, security, and martial arts instructors
The OVA Lab approach
The OVA Lab Training Program is designed as a holistic, systems-based learning and development program.
It:
- Embeds learning over time using a 70–20–10 model
- Aligns capability across executives, leaders, and frontline staff
- Addresses the full lifecycle of OVA: prevention, response, recovery, and organisational learning
- Integrates both human factors and organisational systems, recognising that incidents are shaped by more than individual behaviour in the moment
The program is grounded in a multidisciplinary foundation, including:
- Organisational development and behaviour
- Organisational psychology and psychosocial risk
- Risk management and systems thinking
- Leadership and operational decision-making
- Work health and safety (WHS)
- Human resource management
This is complemented by decades of operational experience in high-risk environments, including policing, security, and martial arts—ensuring strategies are both practically effective and systemically sound.
A different focus
While many programs focus on what happens in the moment, The OVA Lab focuses on why incidents occur—and how they can be prevented at scale.
The program is grounded in the latest science and shaped through participatory action research conducted with councils and regulatory authorities across Australia and New Zealand. It is the only OVA training built on a genuinely multi‑disciplinary, systems‑based approach.
The result
This integrated approach enables organisations to move beyond reactive training and build:
- Safer systems of work
- More confident and capable staff
- Stronger leadership decision-making
- Continuous organisational learning
Ultimately, this leads to more sustainable reductions in occupational violence and aggression risk, rather than short-term improvements in awarenes
Pricing depends on several factors, including:
- Program scope and duration
- Level of customisation
- Delivery format
- Number of participants
- Travel and logistics
Contact The OVA Lab to receive a tailored proposal and quote based on your organisation’s needs.
Getting started is simple.
You can:
- Request more information
- Book a consultation
- Discuss your organisation’s risks and requirements
A tailored OVA training program can then be designed to align with your workforce, environment, and objectives.