Workplace Violence Negligence & Nursing Homes
Author: David Johnson
In February of 2018, The U.S. department of Labor responded to two complaints regarding workplace violence in a nursing home in Colorado. OSHA found five documented accounts of workplace violence in 2017 and several more undocumented. Accordingly, OSHA officials issued a Serious designation citation with a hefty price-tag.
According to the report, nursing assistants were exposed to violent behavior by residents including:
“bites, sprains, broken skin, bruising, scratches… injuries to the head and torso from punches, kicks, and forceful grabs.”
In the nursing home community, healthcare providers often face difficulty to report workplace violence incidents. In particular, many fear for worsening care of patients who may have unknowingly committed such violent acts. For example, a nursing assistant reporting a patient violent patient in psychosis may result in less individual time for the patient and patient privileges at the site. If an assistant does not report this patient’s actions, they may not receive the attention for injury and financial coverage required by OSHA and insured by the business.
In light of documented complaints, officials divided up controls required for Pioneer Health Care Center to obtain OSHA compliance into Engineering and Work Practice Controls, Training Controls, and Administrative Controls. To clarify, recommendations include security camera installation, panic alarms, and removing items potentially improvised as weapons. Additionally, the citation recommended site specific training. Also, the administrators must promote communication of new policies regarding potential violence including a buddy system and staffing changes. These changes had a deadline of a month.
While Pioneer Health Care Center was fined $9,054 for failing to take necessary precautions, they could have prevented the violation by maintaining OSHA Compliance. At AMC we offer courses that cover workplace violence among other OSHA topics as well as HIPAA compliance and infection control procedures. Feel free to contact us for more information.
