WORKPLACE VIOLENCE |
A safe, prepared, and responsive healthcare environment is needed to protect our healthcare workforce from violence while at work. There have been several national legislative strategies to address this issue. What can you do now? Organizations that oversee healthcare have elevated the importance of planning and addressing workplace violence. Ask your employer important questions about workplace violence. The Center for Medicare Service and JCAHO are addressing WPV when they visit your workplace setting. Read below to learn more, and then ask your health care organization how they are meeting these standards and how you can participate! |
2024 Legislative Bills on Workplace Violence/Health Care Safety Human Services Committee | 2024 Legislative Bills on Workplace Violence/Health Care Safety Public Health Committee
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OSHA Response to Death of CT Nurse |
National WPV Proposed Legislation |
Center for Medicare Inspectors Focusing on WPV The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released a memo late last year directing inspectors of hospitals to ensure workplace violence prevention policies. https://www.cms.gov/files/document/qso-23-04-hospitals.pdf
| JCAHO Workplace Violence Standards JACHO Workplace Violence Definitions and Standards: “An act or threat occurring at the workplace that can include any of the following: verbal, nonverbal, written, or physical aggression; threatening, intimidating, harassing, or humiliating words or actions; bullying; sabotage; sexual harassment; physical assaults; or other behaviors of concern involving staff, licensed practitioners, patients, or visitors.”
• Hospitals manages safety and security risks |
ANA’s workplace violence issue statement "One in four nurses has been abused in the workplace. Overall, the likelihood that health care workers are exposed to violence is higher than for prison guards or police officers. The stories nurses tell are horrifying, and all too common. Every day, nurses are stabbed, punched, grabbed, kicked, verbally assaulted, or worse. Perpetrators can be patients and their family members, co-workers, supervisors and managers, and intimate partners. |
Overview of Laws on WPV impacting Connecticut Workplace Violence in Health Care See PDF of Informational Slides Home | Occupational Safety and Health Administration (osha.gov) (The home page is a good starting place and includes links to our social media accounts – LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.) OSHA Worker Rights and Protections | Occupational Safety and Health Administration (This topic page provides an overview of workplace safety and health rights and whistleblower rights. Healthcare - Overview | Occupational Safety and Health Administration (osha.gov) (This healthcare topic page provides a very large amount of information about common safety and health issues in healthcare, including workplace violence.) CONN-OSHA (ct.gov) (This is a link to the CONN_OSHA program for state and local government workers.) |