NEWSWATCH​
​WORKPLACE VIOLENCE ​​
New Resources for Healthcare Complement OSHA Workplace Violence Guidelines
OSHA has published a new Web page that collects tools and strategies to help employers and workers prevent workplace violence in healthcare settings. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), more than 70 percent of the 23,000 significant injuries due to assault at work in 2013 occurred in healthcare and social service settings. BLS data also indicates that 27 of the 100 fatalities in these settings that same year were due to assaults or violent acts. OSHA’s newly released resources include a publication that presents estimates of the extent of the problem from various sources to help readers understand the challenge of workplace violence in healthcare. Other newly developed tools include “Preventing Workplace Violence: A Road Map for Healthcare Facilities,” which describes the core components of a workplace violence prevention program and is intended to help healthcare employers and employees establish a prevention program or strengthen an existing one. Another new publication, “Workplace Violence Prevention and Related Goals: The Big Picture,” discusses how workplace violence prevention programs can complement and enhance organizations’ strategies for compliance, accreditation, and quality of care. These new resources complement OSHA’s existing guidelines for preventing workplace violence for healthcare and social service workers, which were updated earlier this year in response to the significant risk of violence faced by workers in these industries. For more information, see OSHA’s new page on preventing workplace violence in healthcare.
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