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In a Sentinel Event Alert, The Joint Commission offered the following recommendations for reducing the risk of violence in hospitals:
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Hospitals are not the "safe havens" they once were. That is the cautionary message of a recent Sentinel Event Alert by the Joint Commission accrediting body, which focuses on attacks on patients.
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A Connecticut beer distributor employee shot and killed eight of his coworkers before taking his own life after a disciplinary hearing. An ex-employee of a Georgia truck rental business killed two employees and injured three others. A 25-year employee at a Missouri plant shot and killed three and wounded five before shooting himself.
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After a homicide occurs in a workplace, co-workers often make statements such as "I never thought it could happen here," or "He just snapped."
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Hospitals have been placed on notice: They must address the hazards of workplace violence.
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It's one of the toughest spots for an occupational health professional to be in. You know an injured worker needs more time to recover, but you're getting pressured from higher-ups to get that person back ASAP. What do you do?
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The more employees who participate in occupational health programs, the better the results you'll get. Though this is often an uphill battle, finding creative ways to get employee feedback can help you win it.
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In your quest to obtain resources for occupational health programs, don't consider management out of reach or earshot. "You might be surprised at some of the people who have the ear of senior management," says Tamara Y. Blow, RN, MSA, COHN-S/CM, CBM, FAAOHN, a Richmond, VA-based manager of occupational health services.
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A new associate at BASF Corporation's catalysts site in Seneca, SC saw an employee handling a sharp object without gloves. "He spoke up, and told the employee that they needed gloves. He stopped and put them on," says Wayne Enderle, vice president of manufacturing and site environmental, health & safety services.
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If you want employees to comply with sharps safety, then their supervisors have to require it. That is a strong message that emerged from a survey of paramedics related to bloodborne pathogen exposures.
