Have you Experienced a Violent Incident at Work?

Here's what to do:

1. Notify your supervisor or manager about all incidents, even if there is no injury.
2. Seek first aid or medical attention (if required) as soon as possible. If you need to leave your work area, tell your supervisor. Make sure you say that the incident happened at work.
3. Report the incident as soon as possible, using the employee incident reporting process for your worksite, even if there is no injury.
   • for all health authorites, and Providence Health Care, call 1-866-922-9464
   • for all other worksites, use the electronic or paper employee incident report process
4. Start a WorkSafeBC claim for medical treatment and/or missed time from work. Complete a WorkSafeBC Form 6 or by Teleclaim (1-888-967-5377)
5. Call the Nurses' Violence Support Line at 1-844-202-2728 to speak with an OHS officer about the incident.
6. Tell your BCNU representative on the Joint OHS Committee about the incident
7. Participate in the incident investigation with your BCNU representative on the Joint Occupational Health and Safety (JOHS) Committee
8. Ask to attend workplace violence training
9. After a traumatic incident, you may benefit from critical incident stress debriefing (CSID). Talk to your manager about how to access CISD at your workplace.

Workplace violence against nurses and other health care workers must be stopped now

In BC, workplace violence is the third leading cause of injury to nurses. In fact, health care workers suffer a greater number of time loss injuries due to violence than any other occupation.

 Violent behaviour from patients, clients, family members and members of the public has somehow been accepted as part of our normal work environment. But no form of workplace violence is acceptable.

All incidents of violence must be reported to your supervisor and investigated.

Under current OHS regulations, a risk assessment must be performed wherever a risk of violence exists. Employers must create procedures, policies and work environment arrangements to eliminate or minimize the risk. Employers must also educate, train and supervise workers in order to prevent injuries from violence.

BCNU's OHS department works with the JOHS Committee members, stewards and employers to ensure violence prevention programs are established at all work sites.