Windsor martial artist teaches health-care workers how to defend themselves
May 15, 2005
Provided by: Canadian Press
Written by: JOEL WASS
TORONTO (CP) - Dodging surprise knife attacks was just part of Kevin Blok's job when he used to work the night shift on the psychiatric floor of a hospital in Windsor, Ont.
"(Patients) would have a smoke break and get outside and take the handle of a spoon and basically file it on the sidewalk or on the curb and turn it into a shank," says Blok, recalling his days as the midnight supervisor at Windsor Western Hospital.
"I'd turn a corner on my night round and they would try to stab me with it."
Blok, 49, hasn't worked in a hospital for more than two decades, but the risks are as high as ever, say occupational-safety experts, who rank health-care workers among those most likely to encounter violence in the workplace.
The International Labour Organization ranks Canada as the fourth-worst country in the world for violence in the workplace, behind Argentina , Romania and France .
Ontario law gives employees the right to refuse work if they feel unsafe but that's rarely an option for doctors, nurses and staff at facilities like hospitals and long-term care facilities, says Vern Edwards, director of occupational health and safety for the Ontario Federation of Labour.
"If somebody is in an office setting they can walk away," Edwards says. "If they are a health-care worker, they can't do that. They've got to look after their patient."
Well aware of the fine line between self-defence and over-aggression, Blok - an Aikido master and martial arts expert - used his hospital experience to design techniques that allow health-care professionals to protect both themselves, their patients - and their jobs.
"There is a critical approach to dealing with patients; you can't be dangerously physical," says Blok, whose company, On Guard Control and Defensive Tactics, has run self-defence classes for the Canadian Red Cross, home-care nurses and hospital employees in both Canada and the United States.
"Most of what I teach are controlling techniques," he says. "I teach them how to use balance and leverage to hold down patients without causing damage."
Those who have taken the training say it has boosted their confidence, particularly when working inside the homes of patients.
"It's not just fighting techniques," says Tanya Gordon, a social worker with the Canadian Mental Health Association.
"It's observational skills as well - where to park your car, where to stand when you are getting on the elevator and just ways to avoid getting into a potentially dangerous situation."