Workplace Violence
Prevention & Intervention
Being assaulted is NOT part of the job no matter where you work.

Mission Statement
The Mission of Task Force: In order to eliminate violence, there must be awareness that the problem exists. Education of nurses, health care workers and administrators is necessary. Prevention programs that address the violence continuum are essential. Efforts must be directed at legislators, members of the judiciary and society at large to assure the safety of all health care workers. The task force advocates a Zero Tolerance Policy for violence in health care settings.

MNA Workplace Violence Task Force Members Recognize
more:

fewer placement options for:

Workplace Violence Is Not Uncommon In Health Care Settings:
From 1992 to 1996 non-fatal assaults on nurses, others in health care and mental health settings were similar in frequency to those in law enforcement, well over 200,000 annually. Annual average assaults in health care settings included 69,500 nurses, 24,000 technicians, 56,000 other health care workers and 10,000 physicians. In mental health settings 50,300 assaults were reported on professionals, 43,500 on other workers and 8,700 on workers in custodial positions¹.

Workplace Violence IS A Crime
Nurses and other health care workers who are assaulted at work, have the same rights as workers assaulted on the job in any other work setting. You are entitled to file a police report to assure that the incident is investigated by police with follow-up in the courts when indicated.

The victim may file a report at the police department or the District Court of jurisdiction. According to the Massachusetts Office of Victim Assistance, cases come into the criminal justice system in several ways, including police complaints, citizen complaints and indictments. Police complaints are issued by a clerk magistrate in District Court based on information supplied to them by police officers. Citizen complaints are also issued by a clerk magistrate in District Court but are based on information provided to them by both the victim and the defendant.

Definition of Workplace Violence
Violence in the workplace is best described as existing on a continuum from verbal/emotional abuse to physical assault and homicide². In health care settings, workplace violence can be perpetrated by patients, families, friends, visitors, co-workers, physicians, supervisors and managers.

Myths that nurses believe about Workplace Violence in healthcare settings:

Recognizing a Violence Prone Workplace³

The Result Of Workplace Violence -
Critical Incident Stress -
Tragedies, deaths, serious injuries, sexual assault, hostage situations and threatening situations are all common to workplace violence. These events are known as “Critical Incidents”. Sometimes an event is so traumatic or overwhelming that significant stress reactions occur. A process known as critical Incident Stress Debriefing (CISD) is specifically designed to prevent or mitigate the development of post-traumatic stress.

Recognizing Critical Incident Stress⁴
You may see signs and symptoms of critical incident stress in those who have experienced or witnessed workplace violence. Symptoms occur as physical, cognitive, emotional and behavioral and can be noted as:

Actions Following An Assault
Steps to follow:
While there is no clearly defined process for the victims of violence, the Task Force has identified certain steps that should take place. The sequence of these steps depends on the individual situation.

Show That You Care
Encourage the assaulted co-worker to:

You can also help by

What Can The Union Do To Help Victims Of Workplace Violence

Personal Safety Tips

What Can the Union Do to Prevent Workplace Violence