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Injury Prevention Resources for Health Care - Violence

Musculoskeletal Injuries (MSI) and Ergonomics | Ceiling Lift Resources | Violence | Needlestick Injuries | Infectious Diseases | Latex Allergies | Home Care | Cytotoxic Drugs | General Resources

The following links list tools, publications, and other resources to help prevent the most common injuries and illnesses in the health care industry. These resources may not meet all the requirements for health and safety in British Columbia. Please check the Workers Compensation Act, the Occupational Health and Safety Regulation, and related materials for specific WorkSafeBC requirements.

Violence in High Risk Communities - Information Session, June 3, 2008 updated item

This information session was held specifically for social service and community care employers and workers dealing with violence in their high risk communities. The morning session consisted of three presentations: the Vancouver Police Department, The City of Vancouver and the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority. A copy of the morning's agenda, the presentations and the violence risk assessment tools presented are available.

Identification of Risk & Prevention of Aggression in Residential Care: Instructor's Manual

This manual resulted from risk assessments for the prevention of aggression in two residential care facilities in the fall of 2002. One of the recommendations from this process was to develop an education session for staff in the facility to discuss the challenge of aggression in their daily work activities, to share approaches that work, and to provide staff with tools to enhance the safety of their work. This project was funded by the WorkSafeBC and conducted by the Fraser Health Authority.
Source: Fraser Health Authority
* PDF (1 MB)

Responding to Aggression in Long-term Care: Lessons from Five Case Studies

This three-year study into the problems of aggression within five of British Columbia's long-term care facilities surveyed employees and examined incident reports and WorkSafeBC claims statistics. The study's findings recommend that employers use a systems approach to develop prevention and risk management strategies to reduce incidence of aggression in the workplace. These strategies should include education and training, policy and procedures, teamwork and environmental controls. (Dated April 2004)
Source: WorkSafeBC WorkSafeBC and Healthcare Benefit Trust
* PDF (732 KB)

Preventing Violence in Health Care BK34

This handbook is designed to help health care organizations to develop, implement, and maintain effective workplace violence prevention programs or to improve existing programs.
Source: WorkSafeBC WorkSafeBC
* PDF (670 KB)
Updated: December 2005
* Available in print from Publications, Videos and Forms Distribution.

Preventing Workplace Violence

An article from WorkSafe Magazine, April 2005. "Each year, approximately 1,000 workers in B.C. need to take time off work as a result of workplace violence by someone other than a co-worker."
Source: WorkSafeBC WorkSafeBC
* PDF (484 KB)

Violent and Aggressive Behaviour in Health Care and Social Assistance

"In 2004, over 500 health workers lost time from work as the result of injuries caused by violent acts -- approximately 8% of health care time-loss claims. Health workers are among the highest risk group for becoming a victim of violence while on the job. Nurse aides, licensed practical nurses, registered nurses, and community health workers are at highest risk for exposure to violence and make up 69% of these types of claims."
Source: WorkSafeBC WorkSafeBC
* Backgrounder PDF (39 KB)
* Factsheet PDF (29 KB)
* Prevention Resources List PDF (223 KB)

Guidelines: Code White Response

A component of prevention and management of aggressive behaviour in health care. (Dated April 2002)
Source: WorkSafeBC WorkSafeBC, OHSAH, and the Health Association of BC
* PDF (299 KB)

Take care: How to develop and implement a workplace violence prevention program (BK41) updated

This guide enables employers and workers to implement a program to prevent violence in the workplace. It summarizes the relevant sections of the Regulation that deal with violence in the workplace, explains how to conduct a risk assessment, identifies the basic elements of a violence prevention program, and provides safe travel tips and sample documents.
Source: WorkSafeBC WorkSafeBC
* PDF (467 KB)
Updated: December 2006

Identification of Risk and Prevention of Aggressive Behaviour in Residential Care

This risk assessment in residential long-term care is to provide a comparison of two workplaces, paying particular attention to the training component for prevention of aggression. This report includes the findings of the risk assessments and provides recommendations for enhancing violence prevention programs. (Dated September 2002)
Source: Fraser Health Authority
* PDF (2 MB)

Guidelines For Security and Safety Of Health Care And Community Service Workers

"During the past two decades, we have seen a sharp increase in violence in our cities, country and society. Estimates show that nearly one-third of all Americans are victimized by crime each year (Poster & Ryan, 1989). Violence in the workplace is a manifestation of this problem, with homicide being the third leading cause of occupational death among all workers in the United States ..." (Dated March 1998)
Source: Department of Industrial Relations
* HTML

Workplace Violence Risk Assessment at Langley Memorial Hospital

"The consulting firm's team of specialists' undertook to review the current workplace violence situation at LMH and to make recommendations for short and long-term actions that would improve the hospital's workplace violence prevention and management program." (Dated September 2001)
Source: Fraser Health Authority
* PDF (992 KB)

Standards for Hospital-Based Psychiatric Emergency Services: Observation Units

Standards for the safe management of patients with mental illness. (Dated March 2000)
Source: B.C. Ministry of Health
* PDF (165 KB)

Violence in the emergency department: A survey of health care workers

"Verbal and physical violence in the emergency department is frequent and underreported and has a negative influence on staff working conditions." (Dated November 1999)
Source: Canadian Medical Association Journal
* PDF (226 KB)

Violence (OSHA) Links

"Workplace violence has emerged as an important safety and health issue in today's workplace. Its most extreme form, homicide, is the second leading cause of fatal occupational injury in the United States."
Source: OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration)
* HTML

VIOLENCE - Occupational Hazards in Hospitals

"The purpose of this brochure is to increase worker and employer awareness of the risk factors for violence in hospitals and to provide strategies for reducing exposure to these factors." (Dated April 2002)
Source: NIOSH (National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health)
* HTML

When it's right in front of you - Assisting health care workers to manage the effects of violence in rural and remote Australia

"The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) has developed this manual for health care workers, managers and employer organisations in rural and remote Australia, to help them prepare for and respond to violence in ways that will minimize its impact." (Dated 2002)
Source: National Health and Medical Research Council Australia
* PDF (645 KB)



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