| On June 3, 2010, The Joint Commission issued Sentinel Event Alert #45 - Preventing violence in the health care setting. While violence in the health care setting is not new, the instances of workplace violence have increased. Many of the occurrences involve patients or the family of patients, but some relate directly back to employees or their spouses. Safety Management Services (SMS) is interested in helping health care facilities by providing information to assist in the development of an appropriate workplace violence plan for you facility. We have included links to some information provided by Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) osha3148 (pdf) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/2002-101/. We will also feature an article regarding security issues and health care workplace violence in an upcoming issue of Managing the Healthcare Environment. |