Weekend Extra: Workplace Violence

This weekend has been yet another sad reminder of the epidemic of workplace violence. It’s obviously not a new phenomenon, but right now it seems to be happening with frightening frequency. The US Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) actually has a tool for hospitals (cleverly known as the Hospital eTool) that addresses a wide variety of hazards in the workplace, such as blood-borne pathogens and medical lasers(!). There’s also a section on workplace violence.

The Workplace Violence of the eTool addresses 6 main areas:

1.    Violence Prevention Plan
2.    Management and Employee Commitment
3.    Worksite Analysis, Hazard Prevention and Control
4.    Safety and Health Training
5.    Post-Incident Response
6.    Evaluation and Recordkeeping
Each section is well-linked with worksheets, sample policies and other resources addressing the aforementioned topics. If you’d prefer to peruse a PowerPoint with much of the same info, you can find one here.

As an aside, the Emergency section of the eTool has a section on terrorism and workplace stress; there’s also a Nursing Home eTool that links to the same workplace violence information.