Salem, OR — Health care workers in Oregon have new protections against on-the-job violence, under a law signed July 17 by Gov. Tina Kotek (D).
S.B. 537 requires health care employers to provide annual workplace violence prevention training to employees and contracted security.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, health care workers make up 10% of the U.S. workforce but experience 48% of nonfatal injuries resulting from workplace violence.
Other requirements:
- Hospitals, home health agencies and hospice programs will not print staff members’ last names on ID badges unless required by federal law.
- “Flagging” systems must be set up by employers for potential violent individuals in electronic health records and elsewhere.
- Bullet-resistant barriers or enclosures must be installed at the intake window of new or remodeled emergency departments.
- Home health entities must collect information at intake to identify and assess health- and safety-related risks.
“It’s sobering to see the statistics on violence against workers trying to care for patients,” Sen. Deb Patterson (D-Salem), the bill’s sponsor and chair of the Senate Health Committee, said in a press release. “But even more gripping for me was hearing from the people behind the numbers, who bravely testified publicly on the assaults they’ve suffered on the job.”
The Senate approved the bill 18-11 on June 23. Three days later, the House passed it, 37-12.
