ANMF (Vic Branch) welcomes the Victorian Government's announcement that it will fund additional health-industry specific workplace inspectors and establish a dedicated healthcare compliance division in WorkSafe.
'Violence and aggression against nurses, midwives and personal care workers should never be normalised or accepted. Today being International Workers Memorial Day is a stark reminder that every worker should be safe at work. Yet we know from our members that occupational violence and aggression (OVA) remains a significant issue across the healthcare system,' said ANMF (Vic Branch) Secretary Maddy Harradence.'
This funding is a step in the right direction in addressing this insidious issue that needs a systemwide and statewide response. This funding should lead to more comprehensive and improved inspections, and more healthcare employers being held accountable where they fail to implement actions that keep their workers, and our members, safe.
'It's also recognition of the significant risks that our members face when they go to work every day, and that a more focused, specialised approach needs to be taken in the health industry to ensure workers' safety. We hope that more inspectors will allow coverage of the health industry across more of Victoria, to ensure that our members have the same support in Gippsland as they do in Geelong.'
Inspectors ensure workplaces are complying with OHS laws and provide advice and enforcement on employer and employee responsibilities and rights as well as practical guidance on hazard identification and risk controls.
The funding builds on the WorkSafe Victoria pilot program ANMF lobbied for where health-industry specific inspectors – who are either from a health background themselves or have undergone specific training to ensure that they understand the health environment – attend workplaces when there are safety concerns. With a good understanding of the health context and a presence in the workplace where these incidents are happening, these inspectors have better engagement with workers, and understand what systems are practical and should be in place to improve safety in these complex settings. They will also be well placed to identify consistent issues and systems, understand the legislative context and look at what can be done across the industry.
Addressing OVA is a priority for the ANMF (Vic Branch). We're currently renewing ANMF's 10-point plan to end violence and aggression in consultation with our Health and Safety Reps and members to make sure that it remains current, practical and reflective of the situation in health services right now. Every hospital CEO also has a copy of this plan (or has easy access to it), which provides practical steps for a successful cultural and organisational response to prevent violence and aggression.
Violence in hospitals must be taken as seriously as factory accidents in manufacturing or falls incidents in construction. That's why the ANMF is calling for the health care industry to be made a 'regulated industry' like the male-dominated mining and construction industries. Then we would see prosecutions against hospitals and aged care services who fail to protect their nurses and midwives. ANMF (Vic Branch) is also calling for hospitals with high rates of OVA to increase security as coverage and capability currently varies widely.
About us:
The ANMF (Vic Branch) has over 111,000 members – nurses, midwives and aged care personal care workers – across the Victorian health and aged care sectors.
