The Occupational Health and Safety Administration signaled today that rules might be forthcoming addressing workplace violence in healthcare and social service settings.
The government’s chief workplace safety regulator signaled this intention through a Request for Information on whether to propose such standards, and the follow-up of a public meeting on the topic on Jan. 10 of next year.
According to a recent Government Accountability Office report, the rate of workplace violence against employees providing healthcare and social assistance services is substantially higher than private industry as a whole, OSHA said
In the report, GAO also recommended that OSHA assess the need for rulemaking to address this hazard. This RFI seeks public comments on the extent and nature of workplace violence in the industry and the effectiveness and feasibility of methods used to prevent such violence.
The public meeting is intended to supplement written comments by allowing workers, employers and other stakeholders to describe their experiences with workplace violence, as well as allowing for discussion among stakeholders.
Read OSHA’s announcement here, including on registering for the Jan. 10 meeting.
Thanks to the Jon Hyman of the Ohio Employer’s Law Blog for featuring this blog post in his December 9 weekly wrap-up.
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