Representatives Seek OSHA Standard on Healthcare Workplace Violence

Lawmakers Seek OSHA Standard on Workplace Violence Prevention in Healthcare

Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) and 12 other House Democrats have introduced legislation intended to curb workplace violence in health care facilities.

The Health Care Workplace Violence Prevention Act, introduced March 8, would mandate that the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) develop a national standard on workplace violence prevention that would require health care facilities to develop and implement facility and unit-specific workplace violence prevention plans.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, at least 58 hospital workers died as a result of workplace violence between 2011 and 2016. In 2016, the Government Accountability Office found that health care workers were five to 12 times more likely to encounter nonfatal workplace violence than all other workers.

The legislation follows regulation enacted in 2014 in California, which went into effect in 2017, directing Cal/OSHA to craft a workplace violence prevention standard. The law requires all covered health care employers in California to develop and issue – by April 1 – plans to prevent workplace violence and ensure the safety of patients and workers.

The bill introduced by Khanna is similar: Workplaces would create and implement comprehensive violence prevention plans with input from doctors, nurses and custodial workers. The bill stresses prevention, training and worker participation. It defines workplace violence broadly to include not only physical acts of violence, but threats of violence. It emphasizes staffing as a crucial ingredient in preventing violence from occurring and responding quickly when it does.

“Health care workers, doctors and nurses are continuously at risk of workplace violence incidents – strangling, punching, kicking and other physical attacks – that can cause severe injury or death,” Khanna said in a March 8 press release. “This is simply unacceptable. The Health Care Workplace Violence Prevention Act puts a comprehensive plan in place and is a national solution to this widespread problem modeled after the success seen in California.”  

See the Cal/OSHA regulation for details of the standard and what might be expected in the adoption of a National OSHA regulation.

National Nurses United (NNU), the nation’s largest union of registered nurses, applauded the bill.

“Right now, health care facilities are not doing enough to prevent these violent incidents,” NNU Co-President Deborah Burger said in a press release. “Under the proposed federal standard, facilities would need to assess and correct for environmental risk factors, patient specific risk factors, staffing and security system sufficiency.”

“There are a number of interventions that can reduce violence in healthcare. For example, affixing furniture and lighting so they can’t be used as weapons, maintaining clear lines of sight between workers while they are caring for patients, and providing easy access to panic buttons or phones to call for help,” Burger explained. “It is imperative that nurses, doctors, and other health care workers, along with security staff and custodial personnel, are all involved in the development and implementation of these plans.”

Sources: https://www.hcsiinc.com, https://www.dir.ca.gov, , http://www.safetyandhealthmagazine.com, https://www.securitymagazine.com, 
https://www.dir.ca.gov/dosh/workplace-violence-prevention-in-healthcare.html, https://oshareview.com

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100 in 10 Campaign

Healthcare Compliance Solutions, Inc. (HCSI)
has launched the “100 in 10” campaign.

What is the “100 in 10” Campaign?

The Healthcare Compliance Solutions Inc. “100 in 10” campaign was designed to encourage healthcare organizations to complete 100% of their new employees’ compliance training within their first 10 days.

100% Completion

First 10 Days

Why is it Necessary?

When a new employee is hired, outside of Medicare (within first 45 days), there is not a set time period for training the new hires on compliance regulations. With new hires, healthcare organizations will train their new employees on the different workings of the organization, the daily tasks the employee will perform, and other training's that are vital to the new employee’s ability to perform the job they have been hired to do. However, many organizations will postpone providing compliance training until it is convenient for them do conduct the training.

During this time, the employee continues to do his or her job while being ignorant on compliance regulations, office polices, and potential liabilities for the organization. All the while:

• They have been exposed to various forms of protected health information (PHI) without being trained on HIPAA regulations. 
• They have been moving around the office without knowledge of the safety protocols due to not being trained on OSHA regulations.
• They have been interacting with other co-workers before the new employee understands what is and what is not acceptable behavior within the organization because they have not been properly trained on HR Policies/Procedures.
• They do billing or other activities involving Medicare without being trained on Fraud, Waste, and Abuse.

All of this activity by the new employee is a major liability and puts the organization at unnecessary risk.

Recommendation

With more than 30 years of experience, it is the professional recommendation of HCSI that all new employees complete 100% of the compliance training within their first 10 days.

100% in 10 days is a goal that all healthcare professionals can achieve.

Make sure all of your new employees are 100 in 10!

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