OSHA: Violence in the Workplace

¶ … experienced workplace violence?

When I was very young and working at my first place of employment, someone who was drunk and disorderly had to be removed by the police. Fortunately, the police were able to come quickly given that I was not well-briefed on how to deal with such incidents at the time. Since then, I have not encountered any extreme workplace violence other than the occasional resistance of a child during treatment.

Based on the OSHA fact sheet what are some of the risk factors for becoming a victim of workplace violence?

While all workers can experience violence in the workplace, there are indicators that nurses and healthcare workers in general may be especially vulnerable. According to OSHA, workers who handle money; deliver passengers or goods or services; work alone or with few people around; work late or during the very early morning (typical nursing shifts); in high-crime areas or other settings with members of the public are more prone to be victims. Nurses in urban hospitals working eccentric shifts (or EMT workers) would thus seem to be likely targets of violence (Workplace violence, 2002, OSHA Fact Sheet: 1).

Q3. Are these risk factors something that a Community Health Nurse has to be concerned with?

Community health nurses are under particular risk for workplace violence because they face many of the challenges that patients within the environment also face, such as the 'spillover' from crime on the streets into the healthcare environment. Drunk, disorderly, or mentally disturbed individuals may pose a risk of violence in such a setting, along with the potential risk for violence all patients might pose. Healthcare workers are always at a high degree of risk because of the hours they work and the fact they are often dealing with populations who are sick, stressed, and angry.

Q4. What steps does the OSHA fact sheet suggest that organizations or businesses can do to protect employees?

Steps in include safety education to monitor workplaces for signs individuals may become violent; engaging in appropriate surveillance of the workplace with video cameras and security guards; limiting cash on hand; ensuring all employees have a way of contacting others in case of an emergency in the form of a cell phone or other device when they are in the field; and instituting a 'buddy system' (or police escort) when workers are in potentially dangerous areas (Workplace violence, 2002, OSHA Fact Sheet: 1). For at-home healthcare workers, specific procedures are suggested to govern their workplace in terms of what situations are appropriate or inappropriate for them to operate in.

Q5. Do you think these suggestions will work in Community Health Nurse Settings?

Many of these precautions are valuable. There is a need to invest in safety technology and personnel. Also, training workers to 'buddy up' and to know when to request an escort (or not to enter a dangerous situation) is essential. Of course, not all community health settings have the necessary funding to provide as much security as might be ideal. But the welfare of healthcare workers must be taken into consideration when scheduling and planning shifts and creating an environment where healthcare workers can 'do their jobs.'