OSHA launches webpage on preventing workplace violence in health care

Washington – OSHA has created a webpage intended to help health care workers and employers prevent workplace violence.

Released Dec. 1, the site shares anecdotes of health care institutions’ successful workplace violence prevention programs and describes how such programs can bolster safety and compliance. The webpage supplements the agency’s updated Guidelines for Preventing Workplace Violence for Healthcare and Social Service Workers.

The resources concentrate on prevention programs that incorporate elements such as hazard prevention and control, training, and management commitment and employee participation. The site also includes information about violence risk factors, related costs and management actions.

The rate of serious workplace violence incidents was 4 times higher in health care than in private industry from 2002 to 2013, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics data. The number of injuries from serious violence in the health care industry total nearly as many as all other industries combined. Several factors contribute to the risk of workplace violence, including working with patients with a violent past or patients under the influence of drugs.