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Keep reading to learn what these employers have agreed to change and what Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) expects from employers whose workers are exposed to workplace violence hazards.
Protecting Prison Workers
The first company, which provides medical, dental, and mental health services to inmates at correctional facilities nationwide, was cited in August 2014 for failing to develop and implement an effective program to prevent workplace violence for its employers at a prison facility. The company initially contested the citations, but it has withdrawn that contest as part of the settlement agreement.
“While [the company] is taking corrective action at [the facility], it will expand that effort and change its practices at hundreds of locations to enhance safety for countless employees,” said Robert Kulick, OSHA’s regional administrator in New York.
“This corporatewide settlement … has the potential to improve how workplace violence issues are addressed by employers throughout the industry,” said Jeffrey Rogoff, the department’s regional solicitor of labor in New York.
Workplace Violence Safety Meeting Kit – in English or Spanish. One out of every six violent crimes occurs in the workplace. And while workplace homicides grab the headlines, other forms of workplace violence happen much more frequently.
The agreement commits the company to adopting comprehensive and specific abatement measures at its facilities. These measures encompass safeguards contained in OSHA’s “Guidelines for Preventing Workplace Violence for Healthcare and Social Service Workers.” In consultation with employees and unions, each location will develop the following:
- A workplace violence prevention policy
- An incident reporting system
- Enhanced recordkeeping procedures
- A workplace violence hazard assessment and prevention program
- Employee training
The settlement also requires the company to appoint a senior official to oversee compliance with the settlement agreement and the Occupational Safety and Health Act; allows OSHA to conduct inspections to monitor compliance; and seeks greater coordination with local departments of correction or similar agencies that work with the company’s facilities. The company will also pay a fine of $38,000.
Protecting Workers in Hospitals
In the second case, a university hospital and medical center agreed to implement and maintain a comprehensive program to safeguard its employees better against assaults and other on-the-job violence after a patient assaulted a nurse at the facility in 2014.
OSHA cited the 530-bed hospital in August 2014 for failing to protect its employees properly against workplace violence.
On June 18, OSHA and the medical facility reached a settlement agreement that incorporates elements of the agency’s guidelines to help employers prevent workplace violence in healthcare and social service settings. The agreement includes specific engineering and administrative controls, including the following:
- Employee training;
- More holistic violence prevention efforts;
- Improved communication with employees;
- Guidance for actions before, during, and after workplace violence incidents; and
- Engagement of an outside consultant with expertise in workplace violence in hospital settings.
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“Health care and social service workers face job-related violence risks, but effective, proactive employer policies can curtail these dangers. This agreement and its comprehensive corrective measures are great examples of what health care facilities should do to protect their employees better,” said Kulick.
“This agreement is a positive start to a thorough and focused effort to enhance the safety and health of the facility’s workers and prevent and minimize the possibility of future assault,” said Rogoff.
Under the settlement’s terms, the hospital will no longer contest the citations, will pay a $15,000 fine, and agrees to allow OSHA to monitor progress of its corrective actions and cooperate with those inspections.
Tomorrow, we’ll look at a third employer whose failure to protect a worker resulted in the worker’s death, and a set of OSHA citations—and some risk assessment information the employer could have used to protect the worker.