There is no justification for nurses having to endure the threat of violence in the workplace.
But too many of us do — with health care workers facing more workplace violence than police officers. 56% of our members have been physically assaulted, and more than 9,000 have been verbally abused.
And whether it comes from a patient, a patient's family member, or someone else, it is never acceptable.
That's why we've led the fight to eliminate workplace violence. We convinced the Manitoba government to work with us to launch a new Violence Prevention Program, with strict new regulations to protect nurses and other health care workers.
violence
noun
Any act that results in injury or threat of injury, real or perceived, by an individual, including but not limited to acts of agression (whether intentional or not), verbal or written threats, and vandalism of personal property.
- as defined by The Provincial Violence Prevention Program
We surveyed our members about workplace violence
56%
have been physically assaulted
46%
of us have been punched at work
39%
of us have been bitten at work
9000
of us have been verbally abused
What to do if an incident happens:
1Inform your manager
Notify your supervisor or manager about every incident, even if there is no injury. (See article 7A04 of the Collective Agreement.)
2Seek First Aid if needed
If you need it, get first aid or medical attention as soon as possible. (Let your supervisor know if you need to leave the work area.) When you do, be sure to say clearly that the incident happened at work.
3File an incident report
Report the incident as soon as possible. Use the employee incident reporting process for your worksite (the Injury/Near Miss form).
4Start a WCB claim
Start a Workers Compensation Board claim for any medical treatment or missed time from work.
Your employer must notify the Union as soon as reasonably possible after receiving your report. They must make every reasonable effort to resolve the situation