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WASHINGTON – The Occupational Safety and Health Administration today unveiled a new webpage
developed to provide employers and workers with strategies and tools for preventing
workplace violence in healthcare settings.
The webpage, part of
OSHA’s Worker Safety in Hospitals
website, complements the updated Guidelines for Preventing
Workplace Violence for Healthcare and Social Service Workers, published
earlier this year. The new webpage includes real-life examples from healthcare
organizations that have incorporated successful workplace violence prevention
programs, and models of how a workplace violence prevention program can
complement and enhance an organization’s strategies for compliance and a
culture of safety.
Similar to the
guidelines, the new strategies and tools focus on workplace violence prevention
programs that include elements such as management commitment and worker
participation; worksite analysis and hazard identification; hazard prevention
and control; safety and health training; and recordkeeping and program
evaluation.
“Too many healthcare
workers face threats and physical violence on the job while caring for our
loved ones,” said Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and
Health Dr. David Michaels. “It is not right that these valuable workers
continue to be injured and sometimes killed on the job. Most of these injuries
are preventable and OSHA is providing these resources to help combat these
incidents and raise awareness that violence does not need to be part of the
job.”
From 2002 to 2013,
incidents of serious workplace violence were four times more common in
healthcare than in private industry on average, according to Bureau of Labor
Statistics data. Healthcare accounts for nearly as many serious violent
injuries as all other industries combined. The webpage addresses this issue by
providing hospital administrators with information on the risk factors,
associated costs and actions that can be taken to manage the problem.
Under the
Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, employers are responsible for
providing safe and healthful workplaces for their employees. OSHA’s role
is to ensure these conditions for America’s working men and women by setting
and enforcing standards, and providing training, education and assistance. For
more information, visit www.osha.gov.
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