Nurse Safety: Workplace violence- Health and Safety

1. Nurse Safety: Workplace violence- Health and Safety NURS 450 Michelle Smock Elissa Ross

2. Introduction • Violence can occur on-the-job at any time in any profession • Health care workers are at high risk of experiencing work place violence • There are steps health professionals can take to reduce the risk of experiencing violence at work

3. Objectives • Understand the different types of violence that occur in the workplace • Understand the risk factors that place health care workers at an increased risk for workplace violence • Describe actions of individuals and businesses that can decrease the risk of occupational violence

4. Assessment of Environment • “Workplace violence (WPV) is defined as any act or threat of physical violence, harassment, intimidation, or other disruptive behavior that occurs at the work site and may cause physical or emotional harm” (Stene, 2015, p. 113). • The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2014) reports that between 1994 and 2012, occupational homicide occurred on average over 700 times a year, and that over 137,000 people went to the ER for work-related assaults in 2009 (para. 1-4).

5. Environment Assessment • Health care workers are at high risk of experiencing violence in the work place, and this includes all types of violence, such as physical, emotional, and psychological. • Park, Cho, and Hong (2015) describe the different rates of violence nurses' experience: “…on average, 31.8% of nurses were exposed to physical violence, 62.8% to nonphysical violence, 47.6% to bullying, and 17.9% to sexual harassment…” (p. 87).

6. Environment Assessment • In general, occupational risk factors for violence include jobs that deal with money, delivering goods or services, jobs that are mobile, protecting valuables, working with unstable individuals, late-night or high crime areas, working alone or with a small number of people, and working in a community setting (Mercer, 2007, p. 259).

7. Environment Assessment • Nursing staff, especially emergency room staff, are at a higher risk of workplace violence because of 24-hour hospital access, lack of security, and stressed patients and family members (Mercer, 2007, p. 259). • According to many different studies and research, the main source of violence against nurses are patients (Park, et al, 2015, p. 92).

8. Implications • Violence in the workplace may seem like an unavoidable issue. No matter the occupation, violence can occur in any profession at any time. Knowing this, measures can be taken by individuals and businesses to reduce the risk and frequency with which violence occurs.

9. Zero-Tolerance • The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (n.d.) states that the best start for minimizing workplace violence is to enforce a zero-tolerance policy for violence, and that “This policy should cover all workers, patients, clients, visitors, contractors, and anyone else who may come in contact with company personnel” (Safety and Health Topics).

11. References • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2014, July 7) Workplace safety and health topics: Occupational violence. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/violence/ • Mercer, M. (2007, June). The dark side of the job: Violence in the emergency department. Journal of Emergency Nursing, (33)3. doi: 10.1016/j.jen.2007.01.015 • Occupational Safety and Health Administration (n.d.) Safety and health topics. Retrieved from https://www.osha.gov/SLTC/workplaceviolence/ • Park, M., Cho, S.-H., and Hong, H.-J. (2015) Prevalence and perpetrators of workplace violence by nursing unit and the relationship between violence and the perceived work • Stene, J. (2015) Workplace violence in the emergency department: Giving staff the tools and support to report. The Permanente Journal, (19)2. http://dx.doi.org/10.7812/TPP/14-187