In most arenas—including training—it pays to learn from mistakes, whether they are yours or someone else’s. Two companies drew the attention of the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), and training on workplace violence was a part of each settlement. Read on for the facts.
Two healthcare organizations have agreed to offer training to help protect their employees from workplace violence as part of settlement agreements with the federal government.
In July, OSHA reached a settlement with Brookdale University Hospital and Medical Center, as well as with Corizon Health, Inc., which provides medical, dental, and mental health services to inmates at correctional facilities nationwide. The settlements stem from OSHA citations issued in August 2014 to both organizations.
OSHA cited Brookdale for failing to protect its employees properly against workplace violence after a patient assaulted a nurse at the Brooklyn, New York facility. In a settlement agreement between the two parties this summer, Brookdale agreed to stop contesting the citations and to implement and maintain a comprehensive program to safeguard its employees against assaults and other on-the-job violence, according to OSHA.
The agreement includes certain engineering and administrative controls, including employee training; more holistic violence prevention efforts; improved communication with employees; guidance for actions before, during, and after workplace violence incidents; and engagement of an outside consultant with expertise in workplace violence in hospital settings.
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Corizon was cited last year for failing to develop and implement an effective program to prevent workplace violence for its Rikers Island employees in New York City. As part of the settlement, OSHA said Corizon agreed to stop contesting the citations and to adopt comprehensive and specific abatement measures at its various locations.
Specifically, Corizon agreed to develop employee training, a workplace violence prevention policy, an incident reporting system, enhanced recordkeeping procedures, and a workplace violence hazard assessment and prevention program.
The measures to be implemented by both organizations encompass safeguards that are included in OSHA’s “Guidelines for Preventing Workplace Violence for Health Care and Social Service Workers.” The guidelines note that safety and health training is critical to the success of workplace violence protection programs, and that all employees should receive such training.
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OSHA states that the training should cover policies and procedures, along with de-escalation and self-defense techniques. Supervisors and managers should be trained to recognize high-risk situations, reduce safety hazards, and encourage workers to report incidents of workplace violence and to seek any care needed after experiencing a violent incident.
Even if your organization is in a different industry, the settlement agreements serve as an important reminder that your employees should receive training related to workplace violence, and that you have an obligation to protect them from hazards in the workplace.