Workers Memorial Day falls on April 28, marking the day that the Occupational Safety and Health Act took effect more than 50 years ago. The law protects workers from workplace dangers like toxic chemicals, electrical and mechanical hazards, and bloodborne pathogens. The labor movement fought hard for and won the law after more than 14,000 workers had been killed on the job every year with more than 2 million others injured.
But few people know that a leading cause of death in the workplace is violence on the job. One in seven workplace deaths results from workplace violence, more than from toxic exposures or fires and explosions.
Each year, more than 27,000 people suffer serious injuries from workplace violence. Health care and social service workers are at higher risk than others as they have direct contact with patients and clients. As a result, serious workplace violence injuries have gone up by 70% in health care and social assistance settings.
The good news is, workplace violence is preventable. That’s why AFGE supports legislation that has been introduced both in the House and Senate that would protect workers on the job from assaults and other forms of violence.
The Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Worker Act, which was introduced by Rep. Joe Courtney, D-Conn., and Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., would direct the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to issue a workplace violence prevention standard and require employers to implement it to protect workers from workplace violence.
Health care staffing shortages are a major problem in our country. The bill was introduced after a survey showed that half of nurses reported an increase in workplace violence that contributed to staffing shortages, which directly affect patient care.
“AFGE represents employees in the health care and social service industries who experience the highest rates of injury caused by workplace violence of any industry. These employees should not have to risk their physical safety at work,” said AFGE National President Everett Kelley. “Workers deserve an enforceable standard to ensure that employers are taking these risks seriously, and creating safe workplaces that their employees deserve. For these reasons, AFGE fully supports an occupational safety and health standard for health care and social service workers."
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