Illinois OSHA Healthcare | Social Services Guidelines Update
April is National Workplace Violence Prevention Month: OSHA updates guidance for healthcare and social services
Illinois business owner should pay attention to the latest update from their government. The implications if you do business in Illinois are far reaching.
Pursuant to the OSHA Act, employers must comply with safety and health standards and regulations issued and enforced either by OSHA or by an OSHA-approved state plan. In addition, the Act’s General Duty Clause, Section 5(a)(1), requires employers to provide their workers with a workplace free from recognized hazards that are causing or likely to cause death or serious physical harm.
Benefits of OSHA Training for Illinois Business
Preventing workplace injuries will benefit your Illinois business in the following ways:
1. Lower your Illinois workmen’s compensation premiums
2. Increase employees’ morale in the workplace
3. Decrease your risk of a law suit
Illinois healthcare and social service workers face significant risks of job-related violence and it is OSHA’s mission to help employers address these serious hazards. OSHA’s violence prevention guidelines are based on industry best practices and feedback from stakeholders. It providea recommendations for developing policies and procedures to eliminate or reduce workplace violence in a range of healthcare and social service settings.
In 2013, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported over 23,000 significant injuries due to assaults in the workplace. Over 70 percent were in the healthcare and social service settings. Healthcare and social service workers are almost four times as likely to be injured as a result of violence than the average private sector worker.
On April 2, 2015, OSHA kicked off National Workplace Violence Prevention month by releasing an update to its Guidelines for Preventing Workplace Violence for Healthcare and Social Service Workers.
OSHA’s updated violence prevention guidelines include industry best practices and incorporate the most effective way to reduce the risk of violence in a range of healthcare and social service settings.
“It is unacceptable that the people who dedicate their lives to caring for our loved ones often work in fear of being hurt or killed,” said Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health Dr. David Michaels. “Workplace violence is one of the most serious hazards facing healthcare workers in this country and this updated booklet will help employers and employees implement effective measures to reduce or eliminate workplace violence hazards.”
Illinois Healthcare Workers At Risk
Workers who are at risk are registered nurses, social workers, emergency medical care personnel, physicians, pharmacists, physicians’ assistants, nurse practitioners, and other support staff who come in contact with clients with known histories of violence.
Five different settings at risk for workplace violence are hospital settings, Residential Treatment setting, Non-residential Treatment/Service settings, Community Care Settings, Field work settings.
For more on the revised guidelines for healthcare and social services industries, see the news release on OSHA Quick Takes. For more on how to prevent workplace violence in all settings, see OSHA’s workplace violence Web page and blog.
For additional information on OSHA training from Spectrum Training Services, visit our Illinois OSHA Training page.
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