Managing the Risk of Workplace Violence to Healthcare and Community Service Providers
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3. The scope of this guide
This document will provide practical guidance for workplaces where people may be exposed to various forms of workplace violence including:
- physical assault
- verbal abuse
- threats, intimidation and harassment.
It focuses specifically on healthcare and related parts of the social services and community sectors. These are sectors where the physical proximity of care providers to clients, and the lack of an institutional environment with other attendant staff close at hand, means violent or verbally abusive behaviours of some clients can result in serious harm to staff.
The guide is intended to:
- raise general awareness among employers and staff about workplace violence in their sectors; and
- provide a generic list of mechanisms for developing effective management
- plans in particular work settings. These are based on the hierarchy of management detailed in the various Australian States and New Zealand Health and Safety Acts (elimination, isolation and minimisation).
This guide will sit alongside and help inform the development of guidance, codes and standards developed under (in the NZ context):
- health and disability service contracts
- health and disability sector standards (e.g. NZS 8134, NZS 8141:2001 - Restraint, minimization and safe practice etc)
- legislation such as the NZ Mental Health (Compulsory Assessment and Treatment) Act 1992 and NZ Intellectual Disability (Compulsory Care and Rehabilitation) Act 2003 (IDCCR); and
- The NZ Health Information Privacy Code.
- Australian states will have similar guiding legislation.
The advice and information provided is made available in good faith and is from sources believed to be accurate and reliable at time of publication.