Australia

A number of studies on worker safety have been conducted in Australia, however specifically to Health Care, in May 2010 research from Curtin University of Technolgy in Perth W.A, was published in the Journal of Clinical Nursing. Findings outlined that 75% of nurses working across both the public and private sector had experienced violence at work with only 16% of incidents being reported by victims.

The study was based on 113 nurses, the majority of whom were female, in their early 40s and with an average service of about 18 years (ranging from six months to 40 years). Respondents reported 2354 incidents of which 92 per cent involved verbal abuse, 69 per cent physical threats and 52 per cent physical assault. Nurses faced an average of two to 46 incidents a year.

Researchers found that the number and type of incidents varied depending on the health care setting involved: 25 per cent experienced incidents on a weekly basis, 27 per cent about once a month, 25 per cent about once every six months, and the remaining 23 per cent had not experienced violence in the course of their work.

The majority of incidents were reported by nurses working in the emergency department (an average of 46 each in the last 12 months) and mental health (an average of 40 each). The fewest incidents were encountered by those working in midwifery (an average of two each) and in surgery or paediatrics (an average of four each).

Incidents involving a weapon were reported by 40 per cent of respondents including hospital equipment (32 per cent) guns (6 per cent) and knives (3 per cent). Again, the most common settings were emergency (weekly) and mental health (monthly) with 3 per cent of respondents reporting a weekly incident involving violence.

A separate survey on workplace violence (Source: Mayhew, 2005b, p.387) looking at the wider working population listed Taxi Drivers, Juvenile justice employees and Health care workers as the most likely to be on the receiving end of both verbal abuse and physical attack whilst carrying out their job roles.  

In 2009 national regulatory body Safe Work Australia announced an 18% increase in fatal injuries in workplaces in that year with Agriculture, Forestry and Finshing and Mining the industries showing the largest increases - all employers of considerable numbers of lone workers. 

More recently The Parliament of the Commonwealth of Australia introduced 'A Bill for an Act relating to work health and safety, and for related purposes' specifically called the Work Health and Safety Bill 2011 (click link to download Bill).

In Part 2 entitled 'Health and safety duties', Subdivision 1, section 17 the Bill defines the management of risks as 'A duty imposed on a person to ensure health and safety requires the person: (a) to eliminate risks to health and safety, so far as is reasonably practicable; and (b) if it is not reasonably practicable to eliminate risks so far as is reasonably practicable'.

In Part 2, Subdivision 2, section 18 entitled 'What is reasonably practicable' (in the context of ensuring health and safety) the Bill states the following should be taken into account, from point (d) onwards are most specific to lone worker requirements: '(d) the availability and suitability of ways to eliminate or minimise the risk; and (e) after assessing the extent of the risk and the available ways of eliminating or minimising the risk, including whether the cost is grossly disproportionate to the risk'.

Penalties listed in the Bill state up to AUD 10,000 fines for individuals and AUD 50,000 fines for a body corporate may be imposed if found guilty of breaching the legislation.

Figures quoted by Safe Work Australia in 2011 place the number of Australians seriously injured at work every year at over 134,000, with over 220 deaths as a result of injuries suffered. The total economic cost of work related injuries and illnesses to the Australian economy is $57.6 billion, which represents 5.9% of the country's G.D.P.

In March 2012 it was reported by the Telegraph that patient assaults on Hospital Staff were on the inrease, particularly on Nurses who showed a 42% increase between 2008-09 to 2010-11. NSW Health also confirmed that compensation claims had risen by nearly 30% during the same time period. Click to view full press release:

To speak to an authorised resller of Connexion2 products in Australia please visit:
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