Health Service Charged Over Alleged Failure to Protect Staff

Latrobe Regional Health has been charged with three alleged breaches of section 21(1) of the Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004 (Vic) for failing, so far as was reasonably practicable, to provide a working environment that was safe and without risks to health.

It is alleged the health service twice contravened section 21(2)(a) of the OHS Act by failing to maintain adequate systems of work for recording any history of violence or aggression in patients’ medical records and for implementing appropriate risk management strategies in response. It is further alleged the organisation failed to provide or maintain a system of work that ensured employees had access to mobile or personal duress alarms.

WorkSafe Victoria also alleges a breach of section 21(2)(e) of the OHS Act, claiming Latrobe Regional Health did not provide employees with the necessary information or instruction regarding the location of fixed duress alarms within the hospital.

The matter is listed for a first mention in the Latrobe Valley Magistrates’ Court on 1 July 2026.

This case highlights the critical importance for health services and other high-risk workplaces to have robust WHS management systems, clear policies, and effective Safe Work Method Statements (SWMS) to identify, control and monitor risks associated with occupational violence and aggression. Organisations can strengthen their compliance frameworks by implementing structured WHS documentation and controls, such as formal management systems and SWMS tailored to clinical and frontline environments. For practical templates and tools, businesses may refer to resources such as work health and safety management systems and SWMS templates that support systematic risk management and staff training.