Violence Prevention: Where Are We Now

TRACK: Management and Administration in OEM

Cammie Chaumont Menendez, PhD, NIOSH/CDC, Morgantown, WV
Michael J. Hodgson, MD, MPH, OSHA, Washington, DC

Classifications of occupational violence evolved from simple enumeration before the 2999s to a perpetrator based classification system pioneered by CalOSHA to a now prevention and public health oriented classification system based on considerations of instrumental predatory and reactive or affective violence. Three states have developed structured approaches to violence in the health care
workplace, and OSHA has recently reissued guidelines for health care and social services. This presentation will present the issues in the broader context of the workplace and a review of both OSHA’s 5a1 citations and NIOSH’s longer term strategy. A checklist developed from the three State-based regulatory efforts, OSHA’s new guidelines, and nationally recognized programs identified common gaps in programs. It appears useful both for self-assessment and for auditing and enforcement purposes. In addition, such essential elements guide and support the development of intervention tools, applicable for broader use in the workplace, in different industries, from taxicabs through home-based health care. Finally, more structured approaches to threat assessment are meanwhile integrated into programs recognizing the need for the prevention of both initial and recurrent acts of violence.