Increasing Emergency Department Nurses Confidence with Potentially Violent Patient Care Situations

Workplace violence is increasing in the healthcare and emergency department (ED) violence is escalating to the point where nurses experience violent assaults at 12 times the national average (U. S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2008). The Emergency Nurses Association (ENA) conducted a survey of over 3,000 emergency nurses and found 86% of those surveyed had encountered physical violence within the last three years (Emergency Nurses Association [ENA], 2008) Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) (2011) and the Joint Commission (2010) require healthcare facilities to organize a plan to provide for the safety and security of employees and patients Today, most healthcare facilities provide some form of violence prevention program for staff to help diffuse potentially violent situations but these programs can be costly, inconvenient to organize, and not facility specific, resulting in inconsistent and infrequent training. A comprehensive literature review will provide evidence to support the development of a constructivist based violence prevention competency for emergency department nurses to increase confidence and encourage a safe environment for patients and staff when dealing with potentially violent situations, while c~mplying with the recommendations of the Joint Commission and OSH

Joint Workplace Safety and Health Committees: Testimony of John A. Pompei Before the Commission on the Future of Worker-Management Relations

Testimony_Pompei_072893.pdf: 335 downloads, before Oct. 1, 2020

Injuries, Illnesses, and Fatal Injuries in Mining in 2010

[Excerpt] Workers in the mining industry continue to face a higher risk of fatal injury than average American workers. Although the rate of nonfatal injuries and illnesses in mining is less than the average reported for private industry, these injuries are often of a severe nature, as evidenced by the higher median days away from work. Fires and explosions were the leading causes of workplace fatal injuries. Contact with objects and equipment was the leading cause of nonfatal injuries and illnesses

Lessons Learned: Solutions for Workplace Safety and Health

Provides case studies of workplace health hazards, regulatory actions taken, and solutions, including product and design alternatives; a synthesis of findings and lessons learned; and federal- and state-level recommendations

Workers' compensation in the United States: high costs, low benefits

Studies suggest that income replacement is low for many workers with serious occupational injuries and illnesses. This review discusses three areas that hold promise for raising benefits to workers while reducing workers' compensation costs to employers: improving safety, containing medical costs, and reducing litigation. In theory, workers' compensation increases the costs to employers of injuries and so provides incentives to improve safety. Yet, taken as a whole, research does not provide convincing evidence that workers' compensation reduces injury rates. Moreover, unlike safety and health regulation, workers' compensation focuses the attention of employers on individual workers. High costs may lead employers to discourage claims and litigate when claims are filed. Controlling medical costs can reduce workers' compensation costs. Most studies, however, have focused on costs and have not addressed the effectiveness of medical care or patient satisfaction. Research also has shown that workers' compensation systems can reduce the need for litigation. Without litigation, benefits can be delivered more quickly and at lower costs

Workers Who Care: A Graphical Profile of the Frontline Health and Health Care Workforce

Presents data about the professionals and paraprofessionals who provide a range of direct patient care and client services, including occupational growth outlook, per capita employment, demographic information, and wage outlook and trends

Work Matters for Health

Provides an overview of how physical and mental health is affected by work -- the physical environment, psychosocial aspects, wages and benefits, and the need to balance responsibilities. Summarizes promising work-based strategies to improve health

U.S. Government Manual 2008-2009 Edition: Department of Labor

[Excerpt] The purpose of the Department of Labor is to foster, promote, and develop the welfare of the wage earners of the United States, to improve their working conditions, and to advance their opportunities for profitable employment. In carrying out this mission, the Department administers a variety of Federal labor laws guaranteeing workers’ rights to safe and healthful working conditions, a minimum hourly wage and overtime pay, freedom from employment discrimination, unemployment insurance, and workers’ compensation. The Department also protects workers’ retirement and health care benefits; provides for job training programs; helps workers find jobs; works to strengthen free collective bargaining; and keeps track of changes in employment, prices, and other national economic measurements. As the Department seeks to assist all Americans who need and want to work, special efforts are made to meet the unique job market problems of older workers, youths, minority group members, women, individuals with disabilities, and other groups