Survey reveals an alarming prevalence of violence against front-line healthcare workers in Ontario
Hospitals face mounting pressure to do more to make workplaces safe for healthcare workers after a survey revealed that nearly seven in 10 workers have experienced assault.
The poll, conducted for the Ontario Council of Hospital Unions, included among 770 front-line nurses and personal support workers in seven cities including Toronto and an additional 1,200 workers in other healthcare jobs, according to The Toronto Star.
Sixty-eight percent of nurses and PSWs have experienced physical violence at least once on the job over the past year, and 42% experienced at least one incident of sexual harassment and assault.
Of those working related jobs, 24 per cent reported experiencing at least one incident of violence in the past year and 58 per cent said they’d been subjected to non-physical violence.
Moreover 44 per cent said they feared reprisal from their employer if they spoke up about violence on the job.
The Ministry of Labour has increased the inspection of hospitals in response to concerns about violence. There are also appeals to amend the Occupational Health and Safety Act to include explicit protections against reprisal for workers who report violence on the job.
Other proposals include the installation of alarm systems and protective barriers in hospitals.
Talks between hospitals and health-care unions broke off in September even as the Ontario Hospital Association said it was disappointed at the failure of negotiations.
“It is important to reiterate that the health and safety of employees has been, and will continue to be a priority for both the OHA and our member hospitals,” the association said in an email to The Star.
“While we know that the work performed by healthcare providers is often challenging and demanding, acts of violence are never accepted as something that staff members should expect to face within the workplace.”
Health-care unions, however, allege that the hospitals refused to write a letter to government asking for investments in workplace safety to prevent violent assaults.
“You’ve got frankly a hierarchal environment where there is a reluctance to acknowledge or address the problem,” Michael Hurley, OCHU’s president, told The Star.
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