Medical Pros Ask for
OSHA Workplace Violence Help
A recent bill introduced in the U.S. Senate aims to assist medical workers at risk of workplace violence by mandating a standard OSHA workplace violence prevention plan for all healthcare and social service employers.
Specifically, the bill would require employers in those industries to develop workplace-specific plans to prevent OSHA workplace violence.
What is OSHA Workplace Violence?
Many people may not associate workplace violence with OSHA. In a healthcare setting, they are likely more familiar with its personal protective equipment (PPE) requirements or laboratory standards. OSHA defines workplace violence as “any act or threat of physical violence, harassment, intimidation, or other threatening disruptive behavior that occurs at work.”
Various factors can trigger workplace violence, including domestic incidents, intimidation, and mental health issues. As a result, threats of workplace violence can come from nearly any source – intruders, domestic partners, family members, co-workers, or even patients.
Healthcare workers are one category of employees identified by OSHA as being at greater risk of workplace violence. In addition to individual factors, OSHA has identified the following broader risks.
Patient, Client, and Setting-Related Risk Factors
- Working directly with people who have a history of violence, abuse drugs or alcohol, gang members, and relatives of patients or clients
- Transporting patients and clients
- Working alone in a facility or patients’ homes
- Poor environmental design of the workplace that may block employees’ vision or interfere with their escape from a violent incident
- Poorly lit corridors, rooms, parking lots, and other areas
- Lack of means of emergency communication
- Prevalence of firearms, knives, and other weapons among patients and their families and friends
- Working in neighborhoods with high crime rates
Organizational Risk Factors
- Lack of facility policies and staff training for recognizing and managing escalating hostile and assaultive behaviors from patients, clients, visitors, or staff
- Working when understaffed—especially during mealtimes and visiting hours
- High worker turnover
- Inadequate security and mental health personnel on-site
- Long waits for patients or clients and overcrowded, uncomfortable waiting rooms
- Unrestricted movement of the public in clinics and hospitals
- Perception that violence is tolerated and victims will not be able to report the incident to police and/or press charges
The Seriousness of OSHA Workplace Violence
The Bureau of Labor Statistics lists workplace violence as the third-leading cause of workplace deaths in the U.S. Since the pandemic, workplace violence in healthcare settings has spiked. In a survey earlier this year, 48 percent of respondents reported a small or significant increase in workplace violence. That represented an 18-point jump from a poll taken in September of 2021.
Incidents like the July 11, 2022, stabbing of a nurse and paramedic at a hospital in metropolitan St. Louis, Missouri, highlight the increased threats to healthcare employees.
The assailant was apprehended, and she faced multiple charges while in jail under a $2 million bond. Both victims were treated for their injuries, but how can healthcare workplace violence incidents like this one be reduced?
Legislative Response to OSHA Workplace Violence
The Senate bill sponsored by Senator Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin is a companion bill to one passed in the House of Representatives last year. Baldwin’s bill has 26 co-sponsors, all Democrats or Independents. The bill is also being supported by National Nurses United (NNU), a union and professional association formed in 2009 by the merger of three previous professional associations.
The companion bill in the House passed with bipartisan support. Still, NNU representatives claim the bill faces a more challenging fight in the Senate, with opposition expected from groups representing hospitals and medical professionals.
Preventing OSHA Workplace Violence
OSHA has the power to cite employers for workplace violence incidents, but there are currently no specific standards. Employers are legally obligated to provide employees with a workplace “free from recognized hazards that are causing or are likely to cause death or serious physical harm.”
Employers who have experienced OSHA workplace violence incidents or are aware of the possibility of workplace violence must take action to prevent it from happening. Failure to do so could result in substantial fines.
OSHA has a publication with guidelines for preventing workplace violence in healthcare settings, including how to build an effective violence prevention program.
HIPAA and OSHA compliance is vital to running a successful healthcare organization. Compliancy Group is here to assist you with achieving and maintaining these critical standards so that you can focus on successfully running your business.
