Brookdale University Hospital and Medical Center in Brooklyn has been fined by the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OHSA). Due to a high number of employees that have been assaulted and harmed by patients and hospital visitors, Brookdale will have to pay $78,000 in fines.
HIGH INSTANCES OF EMPLOYEE DANGER
The danger for employees at Brookdale is high. Between February and April 2014, 40 violent interactions between patients and employees occurred.
While hospital violence can be an expectation at medical centers, it is the responsibility of the hospital to take action to reduce these incidents. Hospitals rank above manufacturing factories and construction sites as one of most hazardous places to work. A 2013 OHSA report claims that hospitals have a rate of 6.8 work-related injuries and illness per 100 employees. One third of these injuries are related to patient interactions.
OHSA TAKES ACTIONS AGAINST BROOKDALE
Claims against Brookdale state the hospital knew of violence against its employees and did not take adequate measures to reduce these incidents. The workplace violence program at the hospital was considered inadequate, leaving many workers uninformed of dangers.
Since 2012, OHSA has conducted 114 workplace violence investigations, with 75 taking place at hospitals and other health care centers.
Brookdale will face the following fines:
- $70,000 for one willful violation of workplace safety regulations
- $8,000 for not properly reviewing and providing illness and injury reporting forms
Hospital employment always carries some level of risk, but exceptional hazards should be handled by the employer. Hospital injuries should not just be considered an occupational hazard! If you work at a hospital and have experienced an injury, you may be entitled to worker’s compensation. Contact Katz, Leidman, Freund & Herman for a free case evaluation today!