California's new workplace violence prevention rules have inspired the largest nurses union in the U.S. to demand stronger federal workplace safety regulations, according to an article on the Fierce Healthcare website.
Workplace violence in healthcare is a pervasive problem. As FierceHealthcare has reported, 75 percent of workplace assaults between 2011 and 2013 occurred in healthcare settings and 80 percent of emergency medical workers will experience physical violence at some point in their careers.
In March, Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., introduced a federal bill that would require the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to develop a national standard for both health facility and unit-specific healthcare workplace violence prevention plans.
The California Hospital Association supports the law but has concerns about certain requirements, such as a rule that would make hospitals assess patients and visitors for violent behavior without offering guidance of how to appropriately do that.
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