Workplace violence is a serious problem worldwide, with recent Australian data showing a significant increase in workers' compensation claims. The highest rates are found in the healthcare and social assistance industry, with workers frequently exposed to abuse, assault, and threats. The incidence of violence increases significantly in emergency departments (EDs). The challenge of workplace violence is the physical and psychological impact, which can include profound and long-lasting consequences. This PhD research presentation involves data from three publications. Two qualitative studies; including interviews and focus groups of workers who have used the Bröset Violence Checklist (BVC), a well-known and validated risk assessment tool in routine practice at the hospital ED study site for several years. Clinical staff identified what they considered most important in an ED violence risk assessment instrument, as well as benefits and recommendations for improvement. Subsequently, in the third study, nurses collected information over an 8-week period on 14 risk factors, totaling more than 5000 observations on over 1750 patients. Risks were then crossmatched with security incidents and analysed to determine predictive validity. The result of this study was the development of an ED-specific violence risk assessment instrument named the Aggression and Violence Risk Evaluation Tool (AVERT). This tool was developed to improve risk mitigation in this setting and play an integral role in enhancing patient and staff safety. Such a tool, when matched with interventions, can make a significant difference to the reactive culture often associated with EDs and prepare the workforce to anticipate risk and take practical precautions to prevent adverse injury and impact.