“The employer needs to do everything it can to ensure its staff are safe at work. That is the law, and it is very clear,” McKenna said. “It is also the duty of this government to hold the employer accountable, and we are appalled that it has not done so to date.”

The ONA believes Southlake breached the Occupational Health and Safety Act.

“It will be up to the Attorney General and the Ministry of Labour to decide if they will also hold this employer accountable,” the association said in an emailed statement to YorkRegion.com.

A 2005 Statistics Canada survey showed one-third of Canadian nurses providing direct care in hospitals or long-term care facilities reported physical assault by a patient in the previous year; close to half reported emotional abuse.

“It’s become pervasive, and it’s escalating,” McKenna said. “It’s an issue around the world. Nurses have the highest incidence of violence in any workplace sector.”

But at Southlake, which is bursting at the seams, the issue is critical, she added.

Even with the additional security guard added by the hospital, the ONA said there is still not enough security and trained expert staff — as a result, workers continue to report incidents of violence.

Southlake's plan to move the mental health assessment area is a good one, the ONA said in a statement, but the hospital still has not made it clear if the new unit will include an increase in psychiatric trained nurses, increased security, access to a psychiatrist or physician on the unit and other safety measures.

McKenna said the transfer of mental health patients from York Regional Police also needs improvement.

“You see police in full gear drop them off at emergency, and it’s left to staff at the hospital. That’s not acceptable.”

Perrier said the hospital is working with police to improve the transfer.

However, the ONA said a formal process was ordered by the Ministry of Labour, and it should have been an immediate priority at Southlake following the assault in January.

As well, there needs to be advanced, hands-on training with regular refreshers for all workers at risk, something that is common practice in other hospitals, McKenna said.

“I know there is a cost factor, but it’s a front-end cost for back-end savings.”

Injuries from violence result in lost hours on the job and reduced care for patients, who then end up in hospital longer, she said.

“I know health dollars are tight, but in any other workplace environment — if it were safety in a plant or construction site or retail or restaurant — this would not be tolerated. For some reason, there is a perception it’s OK in the health-care sector. It’s not OK. They need to do everything in their power to make it stop.”