Health care and other social service workers are four times more likely as other private sector workers to be injured on the job due to violence. There were 23,000 significant injuries from workplace assault in 2013, and over 70% of them involved health care and social service workers according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
To help reduce the risk, OSHA has updated its guidelines for preventing violence in the healthcare and social services workplace. The guidelines address identification and assessment of workplace violence hazards and discuss key components of violence prevention programs. Helpful checklists are included as assessment and program implementation aids.
Source: Guidelines for preventing workplace violence for healthcare and social service workers. U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration, April 2015. https://www.osha.gov/Publications/osha3148.pdf OSHA news release, April 2, 2015: https://www.osha.gov/newsrelease/nat-20150403.html
Related: Nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses requiring days away from work, 2013. Bureau of Labor Statistics news release, Dec. 16, 2014. http://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/osh2.pdf
Posted by AHA Resource Center (312) 422-2050, rc@aha.org
Filed under: Best practices, Health care workforce, Posted by Diana Culbertson | Tagged: Employee safety, workplace security |
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