Ontario Moving Forward with Recommendations to Prevent Workplace Violence

“Workplace violence is never acceptable”

Ontario is continuing to enhance safety for health care professionals at work by implementing recommendations from the Workplace Violence Prevention in Health Care Report, released.

Due to the nature of their work, health care workers, including nurses and doctors, face a number of workplace hazards such as exposure to infectious diseases, ergonomic hazards, slips, trips and falls, as well as violence.

Ontario’s Workplace Violence Prevention in Health Care Leadership Table endorsed 23 recommendations and outlined further practical steps needed to make hospitals safer, reduce incidents of workplace violence in hospitals and across the health sector and change attitudes around safety for health care workers.

Ontario is making progress on a number of these recommendations, including: developing resources and supports to help hospitals create a psychologically safe and healthy workplace based on the Canadian Standards Association; creating a campaign aimed at increasing awareness and preventing workplace violence amongst health care professionals, including nurses; increasing supports for patients with known aggressive or violent behaviours, creating reliable reporting systems for workplace violence incidents;  and posting information about all government fines against employers in health care under $50,000.

“Workplace violence is never acceptable. Our government is committed to continuing to work with our health sector partners to prevent workplace violence and ensure that patients and health care providers have the supports they need.,” said Dr. Eric Hoskins
Minister of Health and Long-Term Care

The Leadership Table will continue to work on recommendations to help prevent violence against all hospital workers and the broader health care sector.

Protecting the health and safety of health care professionals is part of our plan to create jobs, grow our economy and help people in their everyday lives.

“Violence in our workplaces will not be tolerated. Progress on workplace violence in health care cannot wait — it is an urgent and serious issue. Together, our government and all its partners in the health care sector and the occupational health and safety system need to ensure workers have a safe and healthy workplace, and ensure they will return home to their loved ones safe and sound after a hard day’s work. By putting forward these recommendations, Ontario is moving towards delivering real, positive change for our health care workers,” said  Minister of Labour Kevin Flynn