Latest news with #workplaceviolence
CBC
29-05-2025
- Health
- CBC
B.C. nurses rally against workplace violence
Janice McCaffrey has been a nurse for 40 years, most of which she spent working in critical care. But about a year ago, she was the one in need of emergency care after she was attacked by a patient while at work. McCaffrey said she was helping the patient on June 6, 2024, who needed to be cleaned up after he had been sick to his stomach. As they walked down the hall, "He didn't say a word to me," she said. McCaffrey wasn't able to actually do anything for the patient before he attacked her. "He punched me over and over and over again." McCaffrey said the assault left her with bleeding in the brain and a serious concussion that led to cognitive issues and trouble with balance and seizures. McCaffrey is one of many nurses who showed up on Wednesday afternoon at a rally to draw attention to workplace violence in health-care settings. According to WorkSafeBC, in 2024, there were 1,102 allowed claims from nurses, nurse aides, orderlies and patient service associates where the accident type was an act of violence or force, compared to 988 in 2020. "The potential for violence exists whenever there is direct interaction between workers and non-workers," a WorkSafeBC spokesperson said. "All employers in B.C. are legally obligated to protect the health and safety of their workers — and this includes protecting workers from acts of violence. WorkSafeBC regulations require that employers conduct a risk assessment, have policies and procedures in place to protect workers from the risk of violence, and provide instruction to workers." The B.C. Nurses Union said WorkSafeBC data shows shows time-loss claims related to workplace violence among nurses are increasing: there were an average of 25 claims per month in 2014, and in 2023, there were 46. "Anecdotally, we know violence is on the rise," BCNU President Adriane Gear said. "Now we have the data to back that up." The union is calling for the province to make changes to policies and legislation to better protect health-care workers in the workplace. "It is a requirement of employers to keep their workers safe. We would just like health authorities to do their job." She said they'd also like to see some sort of alert system implemented that flagged patients who have a known history of violence with health-care workers and more security. McCaffrey said patients come into hospitals with weapons and actively use drugs, making the workplace that much more dangerous. "We need to have safety for the nurses, and we also need a working environment that promotes safety. The environment that we have right now does not." CBC News has contacted the Ministry of Health for comment. Wednesday's rally comes a few months after a similar event, organized by the BCNU, was held in Vancouver calling for better working conditions, increased staffing and better safety in healthcare-related workplaces. The February rally was held as negotiations for a new contract with employers were set to begin. As of Wednesday, the union said bargaining hadn't started yet. A spokesperson said they expect negotiations to begin in the fall.
CTV News
28-05-2025
- Health
- CTV News
B.C. nurses demand changes to address ‘ridiculous' workplace violence
Nurses and their supporters march through the streets of downtown Vancouver on Wednesday, May 28, 2025. (CTV News) Hundreds of nurses and other health-care workers rallied in downtown Vancouver Wednesday afternoon to draw attention to an increase in violence in their workplaces and to demand action from their employers. 'We are here to send a message to government and our health employers that enough is enough,' said Adriane Gear, president of the B.C. Nurses' Union, which organized the protest. 'The amount of violence that nurses and other health-care workers and patients are exposed to in the health-care system is ridiculous and it needs to stop.' The BCNU highlighted WorkSafeBC statistics in a news release Wednesday, saying time-loss claims from nurses related to workplace violence had 'nearly doubled' since 2014. That year, there were 25 such claims per month, on average. By 2023, the average had risen to 46 per month, according to the BCNU. 'That is simply not acceptable,' Gear told CTV News at the rally, which began outside the Vancouver Art Gallery before marching through the surrounding streets. The union says the increase in violence is partly attributable to 'chronic understaffing' and 'inadequate security measures in hospitals and care facilities.' The BCNU is calling for 'additional relational security officers in all facilities,' as well as the continued implementation of minimum nurse-to-patient ratios, which the provincial government agreed to in the union's most recent collective bargaining agreement. Gear also claimed that existing policies – such as zero tolerance for violence in health-care facilities – are not being adequately enforced, noting employers have a responsibility to keep workers safe. 'The faster we can get to (appropriate) ratios, the better, but there's also lots of existing policies that need to be enforced now,' she said. The BCNU said more than 500 nurses and 'allied health-care workers' took part in the lunchtime rally.
CTV News
27-05-2025
- Business
- CTV News
‘I just couldn't take it anymore': Why one long-term care worker left the industry
Warning: Story contains graphic details Wendy Harvie decided to quit after working for 14 years as a personal support worker at a private nursing home. The 60-year-old woman from Oshawa, Ont., who is now self-employed with private clients, told in a video interview Tuesday that she endured years of violence at work, including 'abuse' from residents. 'We were always having somebody up at night that was disruptive or aggressive or violent, like there was always somebody that was up that didn't go to bed, that would be up screaming for no reason,' Harvie said. She says she and her coworkers suffered injuries from residents using canes, walkers, cups and hot drinks as weapons, adding she was punched, kicked and pinched. She described how residents dug their nails, usually full of feces, into her skin. They also scratched her, pulled her hair and spit on her. During her time there, she says workers like her didn't feel safe or supported. Before she quit her job around 10 years ago, Harvie says she had taken about eight months of stress leave from work. Harvie is among the rising number of people who have left the long-term care industry in Canada. The Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) released a study last week that highlighted the challenge of meeting the demand for long-term care workers in the country. These workers include nurse practitioners, registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, registered psychiatric nurses, occupational therapists and physiotherapists. The study says most health-care job vacancies in 2023 were for staff who often work at long-term care facilities, including registered nurses, registered psychiatric nurses, licensed practical nurses and personal support workers. The CIHI says these vacancies have risen steadily since 2015 and 'remain elevated' for many jobs. Harvie says most of her past colleagues didn't have benefits since they weren't considered full-time employees. Workers were often called in for extra shifts and couldn't take time off Christmas in part because of staff shortages, she said. 'I didn't know that there was such a thing at the time, that it was anxiety,' she said of her experience. 'Over the years, I just couldn't take it anymore.'
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Yahoo
Long Island principal faces dismissal hearing after being accused of groping staff at PTA luncheon: report
A Long Island principal is accused of groping two school employees at a PTA luncheon, sparking a heated disciplinary hearing that could see her ousted over claims she created a hostile, sexually charged work environment, according to a reports. Karen Heitner, the principal of Pasadena Elementary School in Plainview, allegedly grabbed both women's butts during a June 2023 PTA event — leaving them feeling 'violated' and 'angry,' they testified last week. 'I felt violated,' Stacey Ross, a former 17-year employee in the district, said on the stand at the hearing according to The Long Island Press. If the allegations are upheld, Plainview-Old Bethpage School District will revoke her tenure and terminate her employment, according to the rules outlined in New York's 3020-a disciplinary process for tenured educators, a disciplinary process that began for Heitner in April. The hearings are administrative — not criminal — and are usually held privately, but Heitner chose to make hers public as she fights administrative charges that accuse her of sexual harassment, discrimination, and even pushing multiple women to retire. An internal investigation already concluded Heitner's alleged behavior violated the district's sexual harassment policy, but the two women testified that they were subjected to more than just harassment — calling themselves victims of a sexual assault. The alleged butt-grabbing incident occurred in front of an ice cream truck in the school courtyard, according Ross, who said Heitner walked up behind her and touched her. Ross said she turned around in shock — and heard Heitner say, 'I goosed you.' That same staffer testified that she now suffers from anxiety and nightmares, eventually resigning from the district, giving up seniority, pay, and the school community she loved. 'I wanted to escape from this,' Ross testified Monday. 'She ruined my plan to retire here.' The second woman — a speech therapist who was nearby when the incident happened — said Heitner grabbed her butt as she leaned over to comfort her coworker, according to Newsday. Both women have since filed notices of claim against the district, sharing their intent to sue after initially testifying they didn't go to the police out of fear of retaliation, adding the school failed to protect them and allowed a toxic culture to fester. 'The district did absolutely nothing,' the speech therapist said. 'She could do whatever she wanted, and there were no consequences.' During district HR chief Christopher Donarummo's initial investigation, he said eight staffers — including the two women — came forward to report additional inappropriate conduct by Heitner, including sexual innuendos and comments about their age. Still, Heitner's attorney, Edward Heilig, argues the accusations are 'politically motivated' and claims the touching at the luncheon was an 'innocent glance.' He also alleged the investigation was incomplete and biased — and painted the two women as disgruntled employees angry over being held accountable. But both women testified they had never been disciplined and had strong evaluations, with the occupational therapist claiming that Heitner herself once called her 'professional and compassionate.' Under cross-examination, Heilig tried to poke holes in their accounts — noting inconsistencies between the notices of claim and their sworn testimony. Heilig suggested the occupational therapist resigned to advance a false complaint. 'You are grasping at straws,' she fired back. 'I resigned because I was abused by my principal.' The speech therapist, who has worked in the district since 1998, also testified that Heitner once joked she 'wasn't the oldest person in the room' — though only the two of them were present. She said Heitner also made a crude remark during a team-building game in 2023 while she was grieving her husband's recent death. 'She made a sexual comment involving me,' the woman said. 'It was degrading.' The next hearing in Heitner's disciplinary case is scheduled for Tuesday. In a statement, the Plainview school district said it 'stands firmly behind its decisions' to try and remove Heitner.
CBC
23-05-2025
- CBC
International student's family sues Saskatoon company where he was killed at work
Family members of an international student who was killed at his job are suing the company where he worked. Alfred Okyere died in hospital on Jan. 20 after he was stabbed 17 times at DSI Underground Canada, a mining supply company in Saskatoon's north end. The 23-year-old had only been working at the company for five days — a part-time job he had started to help pay for his studies at the University of Saskatchewan. He moved to Canada from Ghana in September 2024. A co-worker, 53-year-old Troy Leclair, is charged with first-degree murder in Okyere's death. In a statement of claim filed at Saskatoon Court of King's Bench earlier this month, Okyere's family alleges DSI Underground, which is owned by Sandvik Canada, was negligent by not providing a "safe and secure work environment." The lawsuit claims the company knew, or should have known, that Leclair "was violent, prone to violence, hot-headed, impulsive, or suffered from a mental disorder or condition that contributed to, exacerbated, or caused violent and impulsive behaviour." Allegations in the statement of claim have not been proven in court. CBC contacted DSI Underground for comment but did not receive a reply. Community members held a vigil in Saskatoon on Jan. 28 to honour 23-year-old homicide victim Alfred Okyere. (Dayne Patterson/CBC) The plaintiffs listed in the lawsuit include Okyere's sister, who lives in Saskatoon, his parents, who live in Ghana, and his two young sons, who also live in Ghana. The claim, made under The Fatal Accidents Act, seeks an unspecified amount of damages, citing the "severe emotional trauma and psychological distress" that Okyere's death caused his family.
