High level of violence in the workplace - study

The health sector had nearly a quarter of the most serious physical assault cases - the highest rate of workplace violence with 42 of the 175 cases. File photo / Thinkstock

More than half of 96 organisations surveyed have experienced workplace violence, a Massey University study shows.

Nearly a fifth of the 2466 cases reported involved physical injury and 175 cases led to lost time and/or hospitalisation.

That accounted for 572 lost working days directly attributable to workplace violence, study co-author Bevan Catley said today.

The health sector had nearly a quarter of the most serious physical assault cases - the highest rate of workplace violence with 42 of the 175 cases.

The rate was five times the magnitude of the next highest sector, agriculture, Dr Catley said.

The incidence rate for all violence cases (32.3 per 1000 employees) was high compared to rates reported by researchers in North America and Europe, he said.

"In dollar terms, the 572 lost days represents a significant cost to industry, especially when extrapolated across the entire New Zealand workforce and indirect costs such as training, litigation and compensation are taken into account.

"Clearly, workplace bullying is a multi-million dollar problem and deserves further attention."

The survey covered a range of sectors, including manufacturing, health, public administration, scientific and technical services, education, construction, agriculture and utility services.

Violence reported ranged from attempted assault and damage to property to serious physical assault, Dr Catley said.

It was a concern that only half the respondents formally recognised violence as a hazard in the workplace, he said.

"Interestingly, workloads and time pressure also received relatively high ratings, suggesting work-related stress increases the perceived risk of violence in the workplace," he said.

The online study - which represented more than 76,000 employees, or about 4 per cent of the workforce - was the biggest yet and based on workplace data from 2009.

The research was centred in the main cities and population centres.

- NZPA