NSW launches hospital safety group to tackle violence and aggression

The Hospital Industry Action Group will invite representatives from NSW Health, private hospitals, SafeWork NSW and unions to help address critical safety issues for hospital staff. It will draw on data, intelligence and stakeholder insights to prevent work-related violence. Its formation coincides with the continuing rollout of a trial of body-worn cameras for hospital security guards, while 23 SafeWork inspectors are involved in a compliance operation across NSW hospitals.

The health care and social assistance sector is NSW’s largest and fastest-growing sector, accounting for more than 60,000 workers. A survey by the Australian Workers’ Union and Head First found that 40 per cent of health and community services workers had been exposed to violent or traumatic events at work. That compared with 15 per cent in construction, 8 per cent in manufacturing and 15 per cent in mining.

The new group will build on the efforts of the Action Against Violence in NSW Hospitals Working Group, which has brought together health sector representatives to prevent workplace violence in hospitals. Its achievements include developing a toolkit for addressing work-related violence in the hospital system and a webinar series about preventing and managing violence and aggression.

Other NSW Government hospital safety measures include increasing security staffing, improving workplace safety culture, using closed-circuit television, restricting public access to certain areas and standardising security practices across NSW Health facilities. All public hospital staff have a means of calling for assistance, which may include a mobile or fixed duress alarm. Staff are encouraged to call for a Code Black team response early to reduce injury risks for staff and patients and prevent situations from escalating. NSW Health also encourages staff to report incidents, including those that cause no harm.

Health Minister Ryan Park described staff and patient safety as his highest priority and said the group was essential to protecting public hospital workers. He said it would build on the government’s existing safety work, while acknowledging that further action was needed. SafeWork NSW Commissioner Janet Schorer said hospitals should be free of work-related violence and aggression so workers could safely provide high-quality care. She described the group as bringing health sector representatives together around safer workplaces and placed worker safety and care on equal footing with patient safety and care.

Work Health and Safety Minister Sophie Cotsis said the government took psychosocial risks seriously and required employers to manage them as they would other health and safety issues. She pointed to the 2025–26 NSW Budget’s $127.7 million investment over four years to strengthen SafeWork NSW’s work on psychosocial hazards and compliance and enforcement of safe work practices. Recruitment is underway for 51 inspectors, including 20 focused on psychosocial hazards. Cotsis said the reform formed part of a broader $344 million Workplace Mental Health package supporting workplace mental health and injury prevention.

Health Services Union Secretary Gerard Hayes welcomed the action, saying violence and aggression against hospital workers were unacceptable. He said violent incidents were increasing and that physically and psychologically safe hospitals were important for attracting and retaining staff. NSW Nurses and Midwives’ Association General Secretary Shaye Candish said the association looked forward to participating in the group and wanted it to deliver changes that protected members and ensured nurses and midwives had a voice.

Workers with workplace health and safety concerns can contact SafeWork anonymously on 13 10 50 or through the Speak Up Save Lives website. Information about safety in the health sector is also available on the SafeWork NSW website.

How Blue Safe can help: Our free WHS self-check can help you review your approach to workplace health and safety, including psychosocial hazards. We offer it as a starting point for identifying areas that may need closer attention. Take the free WHS self-check