OSHA Workplace Violence Enforcement.

Arbury, Sheila; Collins, Natasha R; Magtahas, Janette; Holmes, Mikki; Hodgson, Michael J · J Occup Environ Med · 2022

other · Level V

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Abstract

To examine violence inspections at the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). The authors examined all inspections that involved violence against workers begun by January 1, 2019. They conducted semi-structured interviews with compliance officers who had conducted inspections on a sample of facilities that received General Duty Clause (GDC) citations (n = 22) or Hazard Alert Letters (HALs) (n = 22). By January 1, 2019, OSHA initiated 726 "violence" inspections, with 502 (69.1%) in healthcare. In healthcare, 45 (11.1%) resulted in GDC citations and 241 (67.7%) in HALs. GDC facilities received statistically significantly lower scores in 5 of 6 domains examined through semi-structured interviews than HAL facilities. Both groups of facilities had poorly designed recordkeeping systems. Health care facilities continue to generate worker complaints with poorly designed violence prevention programs.

Medical subject headings