Nationally the 2007-8 figures show there were 55,993 assaults on NHS staff. The Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust said there were only 17 assaults at the hospital from April 2007 to March 2008, a drop of eight from the previous year.
A statement released by the trust said: "A great deal of this can be credited to staff approach and the excellent service and support we get from our partner at Dorchester Police."
Improving safety and security at the hospital still further will be the focus of this year's Security Awareness Month, which starts in late November.
Local security management specialist Scot Sherrard will be visiting the site and talking to staff about issues such as what to do if they become a victim of violence and what options are available to deal with the minority who choose to abuse staff.
Mr Sherrard said: "Many staff feel alienated when they are physically or verbally abused by patients or their relatives and consider it's just part of the job. They feel there is nothing that can be done. We want them to know there are alternatives such as private prosecution, civil action and anti-social behaviour orders which can be taken out on those who threaten them."
Director of nursing Alison Tong said: "No member of staff should have to accept abusive behaviour.
"We are encouraging staff to share their experiences and providing support for them to officially report the incident. No member of staff should feel vulnerable in their job and we hope this campaign will help to raise the profile of security management and what can be done to help individuals."
Richard Hampton, head of the security management service, said: "Part of our role is to support NHS staff who wish to pursue a legal action against violent perpetrators when the police will not proceed with criminal charges."
