Some industries see significant amounts of workplace violence that threatens the health and safety of workers. Specifically, violence at hospitals and other medical facilities in the United States is becoming an increasingly common source of workplace injuries for doctors, nurses and other health care staff.
Workplace violence in emergency rooms
According to one published survey, workplace violence was a rising cause of injuries among emergency room nurses, physicians and staff. Of the workers surveyed, nearly 72% experienced violence in the workplace.
Of the workers who experienced workplace violence, approximately 72% were verbally abused, either by being the target of harassment or being subjected to threats of violence. Almost 31% of the workers who experienced workplace violence were physically assaulted.
These acts of violence had an impact on the health care workers. Of the workers surveyed, approximately 22% stated that being the victim of workplace violence made it more difficult to do their jobs. And, of the workers surveyed, almost 48% stated that workplace violence affected how they related to patients.
Moreover, 22% of workers surveyed stated that they suffered post-traumatic stress following an incident of workplace violence. And approximately 19% of workers surveyed stated that they considered quitting their job after experiencing workplace violence.
Being assaulted at work is still a workplace injury
Assault is a source of workplace injuries. Employees in all industries deserve to have safe places to do their jobs that are free of hazards, including threats and acts of violence.
Sadly, not all incidents of workplace violence can be avoided, and sometimes, a worker is physically assaulted. This assault could come at the hands of a patron, patient or co-worker.
If a worker in New Jersey is injured after being assaulted at work, they may be unable to show up to their job until their injuries have healed. They will need some sort of income while they are unable to work. This is where workers’ compensation benefits become important.
Workers’ compensation benefits provide an injured worker with a temporary source of income until they can return to their job. When a worker suffers an injury that arises out of the course of their job duties, they can apply for workers’ compensation benefits. This is true even if the injury was the worker’s fault, someone else’s fault or no one’s fault.
So, a person injured at work due to an act of violence might be able to apply for workers’ compensation benefits. Also, if it was a third party who caused the injury, a personal injury lawsuit might be an option as well.