From WorkSafe Victoria comes this paper “Preventing Violence against Health Workers” by Dr Claire Mayhew.
WorkSafe Victoria defines occupational violence as “any incident where an employee is physically attacked or threatened in the workplace”. The International Labour Organisation takes a broader view, that “violence includes both physicial and non-physical violence, in the form of verbal abuse, physical assault, homicide, bullying, mobbing, sexual harassment and mental stress. Violence can occur internally within the enterprise, among managers, supervisors and workers, but it also takes place externally, between workers and intruders, as well as between staff, clients, patients, students, suppliers, and the general public.”
Read Dr Mayhew’s paper to find out more about violence prevention in the health care setting. Together we can make our workplaces safe.
Further resources:
General Practice – a safe place: tips and tools RACGP
Preventing Violence in Health Care: Five steps to an effective program – WorkSafe BC
Gates DM, The epidemic of violence against healthcare workers, Occupational and Environmental Medicine 2004 61:649-650.
