OSHA Accepting Public Comment on New Workplace Violence Standard for the Healthcare and Social Assistance Industries
In March 2023, an Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) panel met with small business leaders to discuss a new Prevention of Workplace Violence in Healthcare and Social Assistance standard which OSHA is in the early stages of developing.
The Small Business Advocacy Review (SBAR) Panel met with representatives from hospitals, residential behavioral health facilities, ambulatory mental healthcare and ambulatory substance abuse treatment centers, residential care facilities, home healthcare agencies, social assistance programs, and correctional health facilities that will be impacted by the draft rule and sought their input on how the draft regulation may potentially affect the operations of their workplace.
While there are many reported cases of violence in the workplace, workplace violence is much more prevalent in the healthcare and social assistance sectors than in any other industry sector. In 2019, the number of incidents of workplace violence was five times greater in privately operated healthcare and social assistance establishments than in private industry overall. There are four categories of workplace violence – criminal intent, customer/client/patient, worker-on-worker, and personal relationship. The new standard is focused on improving safety with respect to customer/client/patient (Type-II) workplace violence, as it is the most prevalent type of workplace violence in the healthcare industry and can be reasonably anticipated and mitigated by employers. When developing the standard, OSHA has considered the sensitive nature of the injuries sustained by healthcare workers and has considered that the individuals committing violence in healthcare settings may be experiencing psychiatric, behavioral, or substance abuse issues, which may require specialized methods and protocols for the delivery of care.
The Report of the Small Business Advocacy Review Panel on OSHA’s Potential Standard for Prevention of Workplace Violence in Healthcare and Social Assistance and OSHA’s recommendations can be accessed on this link, OSHA welcomes comments from all interested parties on the final report, the Preliminary Initial Regulatory Flexibility Analysis (PIRFA), and the draft regulatory framework through July 3, 2023.
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