Worker Safety
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Robert Loseman, Jr.
Vice President of Safety and Preparedness
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- 573-893-3700| ext. 1305
Health care providers — especially front-line staff within hospital emergency departments — increasingly are faced with violent encounters by patients and visitors.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics found that 52% of all workplace violence incidents recorded are in health care. MHA has developed resources to assist member hospitals with mitigating workplace violence through advocacy, reducing regulatory burden, strengthening partnerships and implementing evidence-based strategies through policy development and staff skill building.
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Respiratory Protection
The CDC’s NIOSH provides essential guidance on respiratory protection for healthcare workers, including standards, training resources, and strategies to prevent exposure to airborne hazards.
Safe Patient Handling
OSHA offers strategies and tools to help hospitals reduce worker injuries related to lifting and moving patients, improving safety for both staff and patients.
Sharps Injury Prevention
The CDC provides guidelines and resources to help healthcare workers prevent needlestick injuries and exposures through safer practices and device use.
Slips, Trips and Falls
This NIOSH workbook outlines common hazards and practical steps to reduce slip, trip, and fall injuries in healthcare settings.
Hazardous Chemical and Material Management
Chemical Hazards in Health Care
Health care workers may be exposed to hazardous chemicals such as aerosolized medications, anesthetic gases, and antineoplastic drugs. These exposures can lead to acute effects like headaches and fatigue, as well as long-term risks including reproductive harm and cancer. Implementing safety protocols, using appropriate protective equipment, and providing training can significantly reduce these risks.
NIOSH Pocket Guide to Chemical Hazards
The NIOSH Pocket Guide provides essential information on hundreds of workplace chemicals, including exposure limits, physical properties, first aid measures, and recommended personal protective equipment. It's a vital resource for workers, employers, and occupational health professionals aiming to recognize and control chemical hazards in various environments.
Missouri’s Workplace Violence Definition
MHA facilitated the review and adoption of a definition of workplace violence with the intent of providing clarity and scope, and establishing parameters for future data collection.
Purpose
To provide scope and direction to statewide program development and data collection initiatives.
Definition
“An act or threat occurring at the workplace that can include any of the following: verbal, written or physical aggression; threatening, intimidating, harassing or humiliating words or actions; bullying; sabotage; harassment; physical assaults or other behaviors of concern involving staff, licensed practitioners, patients, visitors or others on-site or off-site when related to the health care facility.” — International Association for Healthcare Security and Safety
IAHSS Resources
Statewide Data Collection
To quantify the prevalence of workplace violence incidents occurring within Missouri hospitals, MHA relaunched a data collection initiative to inform advocacy efforts and member technical assistance. Designated hospital safety and security leaders have received an Excel-based collection tool, along with a request to submit standardized measures three times annually, to wpvdata@mhanet.com.
Advocacy
- Advocating for urgent awareness and reasonable regulatory interpretation from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services — formal communication to Health and Human Services leadership to include CMS, the Assistant Secretary of Preparedness and Response and the Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Abuse was sent by MHA on behalf of member hospitals.
- MHA sent a letter to each Missouri county prosecutor informing them that hospital personnel were added to the definition of “special victim” in Section 565.002, RSMo., thereby enhancing the penalties for assault of hospital staff. The new provision broadens the scope of protected health care workers from the emergency department to the entire hospital facility.
Armed Violent Intruder Planning
Department of Homeland Security Active Shooter Web Page
DHS’ Ready Campaign offers an active shooter web page, which describes what to do in an active shooter event. Remember during an active shooting to RUN. HIDE. FIGHT.
MESH Coalition Training Video
The MESH Coalition created a training video for health care workers on how to respond if an active shooter enters their workplace.
Active Shooter Planning and Response Guide
The Healthcare and Public Health Sector Coordinating Council developed a guide for health care organizations to prepare for active shooter emergencies. Active collaboration with local law enforcement — including planning for exercises, on-site communication and sweeps, reentry following an incident, etc. — is described in detail.
Health and Medical Response to Active Shooter and Bombing Events
A discussion paper is available from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine’s Forum on Medical and Public Health Preparedness for Catastrophic Disasters that examines issues and potential best practices during responses to terrorist shootings, bombings and similar mass casualty events.
Resources
Healing Happens Here Toolkit
A hospital and clinic’s primary mission is to ensure safe, appropriate and quality care for patients. Since 2016, MHA staff has been cultivating resources to assist members with creating safe care environments. S.A.F.E.R. resources intersect the interactions of patients and their families, the hospital workforce and the community to create a coordinated effort for improving the safety and quality of care.
AHA Hospitals Against Violence
The AHA’s HAV initiative supports hospitals in preventing workplace violence through resources, advocacy, and the #HAVhope campaign.
Workplace Violence Prevention Toolkit
With expressed permission, MHA adopted the Oregon Association of Hospitals and Health Systems’ Workplace Violence Prevention Toolkit as our framework to guide improvement efforts.
ASHRM Healthcare Facility Workplace Violence Risk Assessment Tool
The American Society for Healthcare Risk Management has developed a toolkit with resources, policies, checklists and training aids that helps health care organizations work with their staff to identify, mitigate and respond to workplace violence.
OSHA Guidelines for Preventing Workplace Violence
Healthcare and social service workers face significant risks of job-related violence and it is OSHA’s mission to help employers address these serious hazards. These guidelines reflect the variations that exist in different settings and incorporate the latest and most effective ways to reduce the risk of violence in the workplace.
TJC Workplace Violence Prevention Resources
The TJC Workplace Violence Prevention Resources for Health Care Portal provides a valuable source of information from TJC and other organizations related to the topic of workplace violence in health care.
CDC Workplace Violence Prevention Course
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health offers a free, interactive course designed to help health care workers better understand the scope and nature of violence in the workplace.