NYC Gazette

‘Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act’ Would Require OSHA to Develop Specific Safety Requirements for Health Care Employers to Combat Workplace Violence

Health Care and Social Services Workers Face Highest Rates of Workplace Violence in Any Industry

Washington D.C. - Congressman Dan Goldman (NY-10) joined Representative Joe Courtney (CT-02) and Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) in introducing the bipartisan Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act to stop the rising rates of workplace violence in the health care and social services industries. This legislation would require the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to establish an enforceable standard to ensure that employers are creating safe workplaces and protecting their employees.

There are currently no federal protective safety standards in place to protect health care and social services professionals from violence, the result of which is that health care and social service workers continue to face the highest rates of injuries caused by workplace violence of any industry. Facing increasing incidents of patients and visitors grabbing, spitting at, kicking, and threatening care workers with weapons, health care workers account for more than three quarters of all incidences of workplace violence nationwide and are almost four times more likely to suffer a serious injury from workplace violence than workers in any other workplace setting.

“During these past few years, we have seen just how vital our health care and social services workers are to our communities,” Congressman Dan Goldman said “Unfortunately, these workers who we all rely on for care are far too often subjected to unsafe work environments, facing harassment, threats and actualized violence on a regular basis. These workers have done nothing but ensure our safety and it is imperative that we do the same for them. I am proud to join my colleagues in the effort to protect our essential workers.”

Under the Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act, OSHA would require health care employers to put a plan in place to prevent attacks from happening and respond if they do. OSHA would also be required to ensure employers have tailored plans for each specific workplace, including training on de-escalation techniques, giving personal alarm devices, surveillance and monitoring systems, or other strategies to ensure and keep their workers safe.

The Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act would also help address the critical workers shortages facing the health care and social services industry. By protecting workers from violence and focusing on prevention, this legislation would attract more health care workers to the field to help ensure that there are enough workers to meet the patient needs.

Original source can be found here.