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New South Wales Government, Taskforce on Prevention and Management of Violence in the Health Workplace : Discussion papers

Occupational violence : types, reporting patterns, and variations between health sectors

Claire Mayhew and Duncan Chappell
Taskforce on Prevention and Management of Violence in the Health Workplace, Centre for Mental Health, NSW Department of Health
Discussion paper no. 1; Working paper series no. 139; ISSN 1325-8028
Copyright NSW Department of Health
August 2001

Abstract

This discussion paper provides an overview of the types of occupational violence commonly experienced in Australia and other western countries, incidence and severity patterns, and the jobs most at risk. The paper then discusses occupational violence in the health care industry, where an increased level of risk is seen in North America. The risk of occupational violence varies between health care tasks and locations, and the paper identifies risk factors which have been correlated with client initiated violence. The paper also considers the incidence of internal violent incidents in the workplace, including bullying. The authors conclude that overall, the incidence and severity of occupational violence in the Australian health care sector is poorly recognised, and there are no solid data available.