B.C. nurses rally against workplace violence

CBC News

· Posted: May 28, 2025 8:30 PM EDT | Last Updated: 8 hours ago

Janice McCaffrey has been a caregiver for 40 years, astir of which she spent moving successful captious care. But astir a twelvemonth ago, she was the 1 successful request of exigency attraction aft she was attacked by a diligent portion astatine work. 

McCaffrey said she was helping the patient connected June 6, 2024, who needed to beryllium cleaned up aft helium had been sick to his stomach. 

As they walked down the hall, "He didn't accidental a connection to me," she said. McCaffrey wasn't capable to really bash thing for the patient earlier helium attacked her. 

"He punched maine implicit and implicit and implicit again."

McCaffrey said the battle near her with bleeding successful the encephalon and a superior concussion that led to cognitive issues and occupation with equilibrium and seizures.

McCaffrey is 1 of galore nurses who showed up connected Wednesday day astatine a rally to gully attraction to workplace unit successful health-care settings. 

According to WorkSafeBC, successful 2024, determination were 1,102 allowed claims from nurses, caregiver aides, orderlies and diligent work associates wherever the mishap benignant was an enactment of unit oregon force, compared to 988 successful 2020. 

"The imaginable for unit exists whenever determination is nonstop enactment betwixt workers and non-workers," a WorkSafeBC spokesperson said.

"All employers successful B.C. are legally obligated to support the wellness and information of their workers — and this includes protecting workers from acts of violence. WorkSafeBC regulations necessitate that employers behaviour a hazard assessment, person policies and procedures successful spot to support workers from the hazard of violence, and supply acquisition to workers."

The B.C. Nurses Union said WorkSafeBC information shows shows time-loss claims related to workplace unit among nurses are increasing: there were an mean of 25 claims per period successful 2014, and successful 2023, determination were 46.

"Anecdotally, we cognize unit is connected the rise," BCNU  President Adriane Gear said. "Now we person the information to backmost that up."

The national is calling for the state to marque changes to policies and authorities to amended support health-care workers successful the workplace. 

"It is simply a request of employers to support their workers safe. We would conscionable similar wellness authorities to bash their job."

She said they'd besides similar to spot immoderate benignant of alert strategy implemented that flagged patients who person a known past of unit with health-care workers and much security. 

McCaffrey said patients travel into hospitals with weapons and actively usage drugs, making the workplace that overmuch much dangerous. 

"We request to person information for the nurses, and we besides request a moving situation that promotes safety. The environment that we person close present does not."

CBC News has contacted the Ministry of Health for comment. 

Wednesday's rally comes a fewer months after a akin event, organized by the BCNU, was held successful Vancouver calling for amended moving conditions, accrued staffing and amended information successful healthcare-related workplaces. The February rally was held arsenic negotiations for a caller declaration with employers were acceptable to begin. 

As of Wednesday, the national said bargaining hadn't started yet. A spokesperson said they expect negotiations to statesman successful the fall.