LANSING – Sen. Jeff Irwin (D-Ann Arbor) has introduced legislation requiring health care facilities and local health departments to establish a workplace violence prevention program and increase transparency on the frequency of such incidents.
“This Michigan Nurses Week, it is not enough to simply say that we support nurses and the work they do,” Sen. Irwin said. “Nurses and other health care workers are at a higher risk of facing workplace violence, and yet, hospitals and other health care facilities often have no prevention plan in place. No hardworking nurse or doctor should have to risk being hit, bitten or kicked.”
Key provisions of the legislation, Senate Bill 303, would require:
- A workplace violence prevention plan for hospitals, public health departments and agencies;
- Tracking and reporting incidents of assault;
- Coverage for all workers in a health care setting, across almost all practices; and,
- The creation of Violence Prevention Committee with at least 50% of its members being employees of a local health department who provide direct patient care.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 70% of trauma cases from nonfatal workplace violence in the private sector occurred in the health care and social assistance industries, and additionally, according to Occupational Safety and Health Administration data, 80% of serious violent incidents were caused by interactions with patients.
The bipartisan legislation has been referred to the Senate Health Policy and Human Services Committee.
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