By the very nature of their role, many carers will always have to cope with violent incidents at work. So how can a zero tolerance stance be reasonably adopted in a learning disability setting? Gary Watt considers the legal, social and ethical implications of following such a policy

Since its inauguration in 1999, the concept of zero tolerance (Department of Health (DH) 1999) has become well-established in care settings. Current policy statements identify violence and aggression at work as intolerable and a violation of human and occupational rights.