Workplace Violence

San Francisco – Fifty-two percent of employers have updated or implemented a “zero tolerance” workplace violence prevention policy in response to mass shootings at U.S. workplaces in recent years, according to the results of a survey conducted by labor law firm Littler Mendelson.

Washington – A number of labor unions are calling on OSHA to create a standard aimed at preventing workplace violence in the health care and social services industries.

Chicago – The American Medical Association is calling on OSHA to require health care employers to implement programs intended to prevent workplace violence.

Washington – Assaults on national forest and range workers increased significantly in 2015, according to watchdog group Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility.

Washington – Simple changes to the store environment can help convenience store owners protect their employees from work-related violence, NIOSH researchers claim in a recent blog post.

Washington – Threats of physical violence from students can result in teachers becoming discontented with the profession – and sometimes quitting it altogether, according to a newly released report from the Bureau of Justice Statistics and the National Center for Education Statistics.

Washington – Congressional Democrats are urging OSHA to pursue a rule on preventing workplace violence in the health care industry, following the publication of a Government Accountability Office report that concludes the agency could do more to help keep health care workers safe on the job.

Washington – Citing “an epidemic of workplace violence” against bus drivers and other transit operators, a group of organizations is calling on the Federal Transit Administration to issue a final rule that would strengthen protections against physical assaults and other attacks within the industry.

Boston – Hospitals and other health care facilities in Massachusetts would be required to develop and implement workplace violence prevention programs to protect their workers as part of legislation advancing through the state House and Senate.

Philadelphia – Emergency medical technicians and paramedics are 14 times more likely than firefighters to be assaulted on the job but rarely report assault-related injuries, according to a study from Drexel University.