Sydney Local Health District
On 4 May 2019, three workers and a hospital patient were injured during a workplace violence incident at Royal Prince Alfred hospital.
Alleged breach
Sydney Local Health District contravened section 19(1), 19(2) and 32 of the Work Health and Safety Act 2011.
Summary of undertaking
Activities Sydney Local Health District will undertake include:
- a Program Manager for the safe care of mental health and behaviourally disturbed patients in acute care facilities
- the development, implementation and evaluation of the Behavioural Escalation Support Team (BEST)
- development and accreditation of a Graduate Diploma in the Assessment and Management of Acute Behavioural Disturbances
- a scholarship program for the Graduate Diploma in the Assessment and Management of Acute Behavioural Disturbances
- development of a Safer Work, Safer Care Education Pathway through a Train the Trainer program
- workplace related violence prevention by design case study development
- research collaboration on in-home care.
This undertaking has a total expenditure of $3,018,835.
Reasons for accepting the undertaking
- The alleged contravention does not appear to be a section 31 Reckless conduct category 1 offence, which if it was the case, would preclude the proposed undertaking from being accepted
- The nature of the alleged contravention and the actions taken by Sydney Local Health District in response to the incident are assessed as being appropriate for consideration of an undertaking
- The strategies proposed in the undertaking have been assessed as likely to deliver long term sustainable safety improvements in the workplace, industry and community
- The undertaking addresses the requirements contained within the “Enforceable Undertakings – Guidelines for Proposing a WHS Undertaking”.
Date accepted
12 August 2022
Further information
View the full Sydney Local Health District undertaking (PDF, 12061.84 KB)
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