Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Services Act

Nearly three quarters of all non-fatal workplace violence incidents in the US involve healthcare workers. A new Bill introduced to the Senate directs OSHA to issue a new standard that will help prevent violence within health and social care.

Understanding H.R. 1195 – what does it mean for employers?

The Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Services Act, also known as  H.R. 1195, has been passed to the Senate, bringing with it new legislative requirements for employers. 

Launched in response to soaring rates of violence within the health and social care sectors, the Bill directs the Occupational Safety Health Administration (OSHA) to issue a new standard requiring all employers within these industries to develop and implement workplace violence prevention plans.

Healthcare workers are ‘bearing the brunt of a broken health care system’

The Act proposes to tackle long standing issues with violence and intimidation within health and social care.  

According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, workers in the health care and social service industries are 5 times more likely to suffer a workplace violence injury than workers overall.

From 2016 to 2020 there were 207 employee deaths due to violence in the health care and social assistance sectors. 

Non-physical violent events are also prevalent. In 2020, threat, sexual harassment and verbal abuse against nurses occured at a rate of 38.8 incidents per 100 employees. In reality, even more incidents are likely to go unreported. 

“We are bearing the brunt of a broken health care system” says NNU President Jean Ross. “The violence is just getting worse. We are not willing to take it any longer.”

If passed, The Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Services Act will require, by law, that measures are taken by employers to reduce the violence experienced by employees in health care, social service, and other related sectors.

New Workplace Violence Prevention Standard

The Bill will require employers to develop and implement workplace violence prevention plans that protect employees such as nurses, physicians, social workers and emergency responders. 

The proposals within the Bill are comprehensive, including:

• The requirement for a written violence prevention plan that is tailored to the organization, developed and implemented with ‘meaningful participation’ from employees and other stakeholders,
• The undertaking of risk assessments relating to workplace violence,
• The implementation of suitable violence prevention measures, such as additional training, panic alarms or monitoring systems,
• Undertaking reporting, incident response, and post-incident investigation procedures, including procedures for employees to report workplace violence risks, hazards, and incidents.
  
  

Although H.R. 1195 still needs to be approved by the Senate, organizations are being encouraged to act now.

What can employers do to prepare for the Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Services Act?

Organizations who want to begin preparing for the passing of H.R. 1195 could consider:

• Reviewing your existing policies on workplace violence, including how you define workplace violence, your current procedures and reporting systems.
• Providing additional training for staff, such as de-escalation, threat assessment and stress management training.
• Implementing new violence prevention measures such as panic alarms that allow staff to quickly signal for help in an emergency.
  
  
  

How can EcoOnline help you comply with H.R. 1195?

EcoOnline (powered by StaySafe technology) provides an app and monitoring hub that gives employees a way to get immediate help in an emergency situation. 

As part of your violence prevention procedures, our lone worker solution enables you to monitor the safety status of your employees whilst they work alone, whether out in the community or 121 with patients in health or social care settings. 

With EcoOnline, if an employee finds themselves in an uncomfortable or emergency situation, they can signal for help using a panic button. With their real-time location visible within a cloud based monitoring hub, help can be sent to their exact location immediately. Alerts are also raised if an employee fails to check in when expected, or if their phone detects they have suffered a fall. 

Apps provide the ideal safety solution for healthcare staff because of the widespread usage of smartphones, and the cutting-edge functionality they provide. In fact, the number of lone workers using connected safety solutions like apps in Europe and North America is expected to reach 1.8 million by 2025, making them one of the fastest growing health and safety tools available in the world today.

Find out more about our solution below: