People working in healthcare and social service settings are 4 times more likely to experience workplace violence than anyone else. And 80% of that violence comes from patients with another 12% coming from other clients or customers.

The costs mount up. Morale is low when workers do not feel safe, turnover is high and staff loses work days because they’re recovering from workplace injuries. That doesn’t even include the rising costs of workers’ compensation or the resulting decrease in the quality of patient care.

For healthcare workers, assaults comprise 10-11 percent of workplace injuries involving days away from work, as compared to 3 percent of injuries of all private sector employees.

Although these figures are high, it is generally believed that workplace violence in the healthcare industry is widely underreported, even at organizations that have workplace violence education programs and well-developed reporting procedures in place. The Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) found that the reasons for underreporting include lack of a reporting policy, lack of faith in the reporting system and fear of retaliation.3

In our free download, “The Reality of Workplace Violence in Healthcare,” you’ll learn:

• How some facilities are being cited through OSHA’s General Duty Clause
• What other regulations are being applied to workplace violence issues
• Which states have legislatures addressing the problem
• What actions the American Hospital Association and the Emergency Nurses Association are taking to address the issue

In addition, you’ll have access to

• An online education site and a toolkit to help facilities review current plans and processes
• An Assault Halt document you can download with guidance and resources to curb healthcare violence
• Information about how threat assessment teams can help