OSHA Fines Hospital for Not Protecting Staff from Workplace Violence

Case: A psychiatric patient physically attacked multiple workers while attempting to escape from the hospital. OSHA inspectors sent to the scene concluded that the hospital didn’t implement an adequate workplace violence prevention program even though it was aware of the ongoing threat of violence. Resulting fine: $13,653, plus another $3,902 for incomplete, inaccurate, and untimely injury and illness incident reports. Significance: Hospitals and other patient care facilities have long been deemed to be at high risk of workplace violence. Violence against health care workers has increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. What got the hospital into trouble was that the incident that triggered the OSHA inspection wasn’t an isolated incident. There was a history of patient assaults during one-on-one patient observations and escape attempts, resulting in broken bones, bites, and neck, back, and shoulder injuries, some of which required workers to miss work time.