Federal officials recently cited Bergen Regional Medical Center in Paramus, NJ, for failing to protect employees from violent patients.
Responding to an employee complaint, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) found eight incidents from Feb. 22 through June 12 in which healthcare workers were victims of violent patients, including one incident in which a nurse suffered a laceration and bruises attempting to stop an attack on a patient.
Bergen Regional Medical Center is one of the nation’s largest hospitals, providing long-term, behavioral health, and acute care in northern New Jersey. It has more than 1,070 beds, and it is also one of the state’s largest licensed nursing homes.
OSHA cited the facility for one general duty clause citation for failing to keep the workplace free of hazards. Employees reported incidents that involved patients barricading workers in a room, threatening them, and exposing them to bloodborne pathogens. Several employees experienced being bit, punched, kicked, and threatened by patients, according to a statement released by Lisa Levy, director of OSHA’s Hasbrouck Heights Area Office. (More information on the OSHA citation is available online at http://tinyurl.com/owjq2s6.)
“Bergen Regional Medical Center’s management recognized workplace hazards, but lacked adequate procedures to prevent employee exposure,” Levy says. “With so many incidents, it’s clear that this facility’s workplace violence program is ineffective and should be improved immediately to protect employees and ensure a safe workplace.”
OSHA issued one repeated citation for incorrectly recording workplace injuries on the OSHA 300A illness and injury reporting form. Proposed penalties total $13,600.
In June, the agency expanded use of its enforcement resources in hospitals and nursing homes to focus on workplace violence, one of the most common causes of injuries among healthcare workers. Guidelines for preventing workplace violence for health and social service workers are available at http://tinyurl.com/ohwgnoe.
