Unveiled earlier this week, a Senate bill called the Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act calls for the Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration to create a standard requiring healthcare employees write prevention plans. The bill was introduced by Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and is supported by a bipartisan group of other Senators, as well as numerous professional and nonprofit groups. The bill is designed to ensure that healthcare workplaces adopt proven prevention techniques and are prepared to respond in the tragic event of a violent incident. Incidents of violence against health care and social service workers are on the rise, with the pandemic only exacerbating the issue. Workers in the healthcare and social service industries experience the highest rates of injuries caused by workplace violence. A 2016 GAO study reported that rates of violence against health care workers are up to twelve times higher than rates for the overall workforce, and 70% of nonfatal workplace assaults in 2016 occurred in the health care and social assistance sectors. “Our nurses, doctors, social services workers, and health care professionals deserve to work in a safe environment free from violence,” said Sen. Baldwin. “Health care workers have faced unprecedented obstacles just to stay healthy and do their jobs through the pandemic, and on top of it all, they have seen senseless violence against them. It is unacceptable and we must provide basic protections and safety standards to a workforce that serves people during some of their most vulnerable times.” Read the full article.
