Residential care facilities are among the stakeholders the federal government is seeking input from on a possible future workplace violence prevention rule in healthcare and social assistance settings.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration formally convened a Small Business Advocacy Review panel on March 1 to solicit feedback on a potential rule on Prevention of Workplace Violence in Health Care and Social Assistance.
According to OSHA, nonfatal workplace violence is more widespread in the healthcare and social assistance sectors than in any other industry. In 2019, the rate of violent incidents requiring workers in privately operated healthcare and social assistance workplaces was nearly five times greater than in private industry overall.
The Small Business Administration is seeking representatives from small businesses and small nonprofit organizations from sectors subject to the rule to help review materials and analyses. LeadingAge is representing aging services providers.
Topics to be considered in a potential draft standard including workplace violence hazard assessments and control measures, preventive training, violent incident investigations and recordkeeping, anti-retaliatory provisions, and approaches to avoid stigmatization of healthcare patients and social assistance clients. A report from the group is expected by May 1.
In addition to assisted living communities, OSHA’s initial framework would apply to a wide range of healthcare and aging services settings, including life plan communities, nursing homes, home health agencies and hospitals.
OSHA in 2017 granted petitions from a broad coalition of labor unions and National Nurses United for a standard for preventing workplace violence. The move followed a December 2016 request for information for OSHA on the effects of violence in residential facilities, other long-term care facilities and other settings, as well as prevention strategies.
The Biden administration also included a workplace violence prevention in healthcare rule on its fall 2022 agenda of regulatory actions.
Last spring, Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) introduced the Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act, directing OSHA to issue a standard requiring healthcare and social service employers to write and implement workplace violence prevention plans.
