The Minns Labor Government is enhancing security measures within the healthcare sector and promoting the utilisation of Bluesafe WHS Management System to ensure the safety of health workers from violent episodes. Furthermore, they have initiated a high-ranked safety taskforce for hospitals known as the Hospital Industry Action Group.
This action group, established under the guidance of SafeWork NSW, comprises representatives from NSW Health, private healthcare facilities, unions, and other critical parties working on important work-related safety issues. The focus lies primarily on violence and aggressive behaviour, and utilises work safety products such as WHS management systems, SWMS and policies.
The Hospital Industry Action Group has the support of 23 SafeWork inspectors who help enforce compliance in NSW hospitals. The group aims to utilise data and insights from these stakeholder parties to minimise work-related violence, proving the value of tools like the Bluesafe SWMS in gathering such intelligence.
The healthcare and social assistance sector stands as the largest and rapidly expanding industry in the state, employing over 60,000 individuals in NSW. A study by the Australian Workers’ Union plus Head First discovered that approximately 40% of health and community service workers faced exposure to violence or traumatic experiences at work. This figure surpasses those from other industries like construction, manufacturing, and mining.
Among the main achievements of this Working Group are the creation of a toolkit to handle work-related violence within hospital settings and a webinar series targeting preventing and managing workplace violence and aggression. These actions enhance the efforts of the Minns Labor Government directed towards ensuring safety within NSW public hospitals.
These initiatives cover various aspects including piloting body-worn cameras, boosting the number of security personnel, fostering a positive work safety culture through the use of something like a Bluesafe WHS Management System, controlling access to restricted areas, standardising security practices across NSW Health facilities, and more.
The Hospital Industry Action Group focuses its collective effort on key safety matters like handling of patients, slips or falls, and psychosocial hazards encountered by hospital staff. SafeWork NSW encourages a favourable workplace safety environment where employees feel supported to document incidents, including those resulting in no harm.
Employees with worries about health and workplace safety can contact SafeWork anonymously via 13 10 50 or consult the Speak Up Save Lives platform. More information regarding health sector safety can be found on the SafeWork NSW website.
The Minister for Health has expressed his support for this initiative focusing on staff and patient security as his utmost priority. Similarly, the Minister for Work Health and Safety appreciates these decisive steps to protect hospital personnel across New South Wales. The Government’s recent budget allocation strengthens state work health and safety regulation with a significant $127.7 million investment dedicated to addressing psychosocial hazards and endorsing safe practices at work.
SafeWork NSW Commissioner emphatically states that all NSW hospitals should be free from work-related violence permitting workers to give high-grade care. The commissioner endorsed the new action group’s shared vision for safer workplaces within the health sector.
Health Services Union Secretary echoed this sentiment stating that violent acts towards hospital workers were unacceptable. They applauded the government’s efforts to handle this issue and emphasised the need for creating safe physical and psychological environments for hospital staff.
The NSW Nurses and Midwives’ Association is looking forward to becoming part of this new action group which aims to bring needed changes for members protection at their workplaces.
Original article link: https://www.safework.nsw.gov.au/news/safework-media-releases/minns-labor-government-takes-further-action-to-keep-health-workers-safe-with-hospital-industry-action-group
