A new weapons detection system aimed at reducing violence in hospital emergency departments is set to be trialled at an Edmonton hospital and, if successful, could be rolled out across other health-care facilities in Alberta.

A request for proposal issued by Alberta Health Services in October is looking to test technology at the Royal Alexandra Hospital (RAH) emergency department as part of a two-year pilot project.

The move has been welcomed by associations and unions for health-care workers who say the move to bring more security measures to Alberta hospitals is good news for an industry that's seen a steady rise in violence towards workers.

A survey this year from the Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions said six in 10 nurses reported experiencing violence over a one-year period.

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