As workplace violence increases in healthcare facilities, the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has ramped up its efforts to enforce the federal government’s workplace safety regulations. For example, OSHA earlier this year found the operator of multiple psychiatric and rehabilitation facilities in Florida has had workers seriously injured or killed in violent patient attacks. Now, an Arizona facility has again caught OSHA’s attention.
For the second time in four years, OSHA recently determined an Arizona veterans' medical center failed to protect healthcare workers from unit residents who kicked, bit, struck, punched, slapped and sexually harassed them. In December 2023, the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration concluded that Northern Arizona VA Healthcare System’s Bob Stump VA Medical Center again exposed nurses, nursing assistants and housekeeping staff to patient violence.
Federal regulations require employers to provide a workplace free of hazards that are causing or are likely to cause employees to suffer serious physical harm or worse. Under Executive Order 12196, federal agencies must comply with the same safety and health standards as private sector employers covered under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that people employed in hospitals fall victim to non-fatal workplace assaults at a rate of 8.3 per 10,000 workers, significantly higher than 2.0 per 10,000 workers’ rate for those employed in all private sector industries.
Dan Hounsell is senior editor for the facilities market. He has more than 30 years of experience writing about facilities maintenance, engineering and management.
