Published: Just now
Thursday’s murder at a nursing home is being investigated by specialist prosecutors within the work environment at the same time as the usual criminal investigation.
– Our investigation focuses on the role of the employer, and whether the risk assessment at the workplace has been sufficient, says chief prosecutor Kristina Falk Strand.
A series of investigations have started after Thursday’s murder of an employee at a nursing home in Enköping, in addition to the police’s murder investigation.
The Public Prosecutor’s Office’s national unit for environmental and work environment cases handles the incident as a work environment case. A specialist prosecutor must find out if there have been shortcomings in the workplace that are related to the incident. The investigation must answer if anyone can be held accountable for violations of the Work Environment Act. It could be prosecution against a manager or other person in the workplace, or a fine for the company itself.
Employer’s responsibility
The Swedish Work Environment Agency has also started its investigation. An inspection at the nursing home is planned.
– We must assess whether the employer has done what it could to prevent violence and threats in the workplace. The risk assessment is always the employer’s responsibility, says Ulrika Scholander, head of unit at the authority’s department for inspections.
Many call the union
Hedvik Madsen is regional safety representative for Kommunal i Enköping.
– The murder has aroused emotions among those who work within LSS. Many people have contacted me, both from private and municipal accommodation, she says.
A few weeks ago, Hedvik Madsen had contact with the employer at the new accommodation where yesterday’s murder occurred. At that time it was not yet fully occupied. She has not had time to make any security rounds at the nursing home.
– I will contact our members who work there and offer our support. We are also launching our own investigation into workplace accidents.
“The violence has increased”
She describes general deficiencies in workplaces within care and social care, but also in other service professions.
– We see that violence has increased in our members’ working lives. Employers must take it seriously. In LSS care, there is a need in many places for better premises and opportunities to go away and raise the alarm if a resident or care recipient is acting aggressively.
Facts
Murder at work
Some noteworthy cases:
In March this year, an 18-year-old man killed two teachers at Malmö Latin School. In September, the man was sentenced to life imprisonment. The case was appealed and the proceedings in the Court of Appeal have been suspended pending a second opinion from the National Board of Health and Welfare’s legal council, which the 18-year-old’s lawyer wanted.
In January 2021, a property manager in Malmö was stabbed to death by a 59-year-old man. The man who lived in the house was later sentenced to forensic psychiatric care for murder.
In autumn 2011, a carer was beaten to death at the detention center in Flemingsberg, south of Stockholm. The murderer was sentenced to life imprisonment. Three managers at the detention center were suspected of work environment violations by grossly causing the death of another, but were acquitted in the Court of Appeal.
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