The California Division of Occupational Safety and Health recently approved new rules in regard to violence against healthcare workers.
Here are five things to know about the rules, according to a report published by NPR.
1. Under the rules, hospitals and other employers of health professionals would be required to develop violence prevention protocols and involve workers in the process, according to the report.
2. The rules, which are specifically designed to prevent violence, apply to private healthcare facilities in California and are more robust than existing workplace protection rules, according to officials with California Nurses Association/National Nurses United.
3. Two unions, the California Nurses Association and the Service Employees International Union, have been pushing for more comprehensive protections, and the CNA sponsored the 2014 bill requiring the board to adopt the violence prevention rules this year, according to the report.
4. Under the new rules, California employers wouldn't be liable for every violent act against a worker, such as a mass shooting, but they could be cited by Cal/OSHA for not following protocols, Kathy Hughes, a registered nurse and spokesperson for the SEIU Nurse Alliance of California, said in the report. The standard applies to hospital-affiliated facilities and clinics, including home healthcare settings and drug treatment programs.
5. The standard will be reviewed by the Office of Administrative Law, which proponents expect will approve the new rules. At the earliest, the rules would take effect in January 2017.
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