A poll comparing workplace violence between care providers and patients in North Bay and province-wide reveals higher findings locally.
Nurses, personal support workers, and other hospital staff located in North Bay are more likely to experience physical violence, non-physical violence, sexual harassment or sexual assault than workers in those fields in other Ontario markets, according to poll data released by CUPE and the Ontario Council of Hospital Unions (OCHU).
Seven Ontario communities took part in the poll, with 1,976 staff responding. The results have been compared to a study undertaken by the union in North Bay in 2016 following the firing of a North Bay Regional Health Centre nurse who spoke out about workplace violence.
According to OCHU, staff in North Bay are assaulted 18 per cent more in comparison to the Ontario levels. Province-wide, 68 per cent of RPNs and PSWs polled say they have experienced at least one incident of workplace violence, encompassing punching, hitting, or having items thrown at them. The North Bay poll returned a finding of 86 per cent.
North Bay care providers report a 53 per cent rate of sexual assault or harassment, higher than the 42 per cent rate across Ontario.
In the 2016 North Bay poll, 51 per cent say they are afraid of reprisal for reporting workplace violence incidents.
