KPTV/FOX 12 reports the Oregon Senate passed a Bill by a vote of 18-to-11 to put new safeguards in place in an effort to reduce workplace violence against Health Care Workers. Senate Bill 537 would require violence-prevention procedures in health care settings, as well as data tracking for incidents of workplace violence. Workplace violence is defined in the Bill as any act or threat of physical violence, harassment, intimidation, assault, homicide or any other threatening behavior that occurs in the workplace. The Bill includes: Health care employers must provide annual Workplace Violence Prevention Training to Employees and any contracted Security Personnel; Hospitals, home health agencies and hospice programs must not require Staff’s last name be included on a badge unless required by Federal Laws; Hospitals, home health agencies and home hospice programs must set up flagging systems for potentially violent individuals in electronic health records or elsewhere; New or remodeled Emergency Departments must install bullet-resistant barriers or enclosures at the intake window; and Home health care entities must collect information at intake to identify and assess health and safety-related risks.

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Graphic Courtesy Of The Western New York Council On Occupational Safety And Health.