healthcare workers

House of Representatives Passes Bill Addressing Violence Against Healthcare Workers

The legislation faces a tough road ahead in the Senate and a potential veto from the Trump administration, which opposes the current version of the bill.

Despite a veto threat from the Trump administration, the House of Representatives passed a bill on Thursday that would require the Labor Department’s Occupational Health and Safety Administration to develop rules to protect healthcare workers from violence in the workplace.

More than two dozen Republicans joined a majority of Democrats to support the Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act, which passed 251-158, Bloomberg Law reported. The bill directs OSHA to issue new standards requiring healthcare and social service employers to create and implement workplace violence prevention plans.

The Labor Department would have 42 months after the bill’s enactment to develop and issue the standards. The rule must require at least the same level of protection as any state workplace violence plan OSHA has approved.

A growing number of healthcare workers face violence and assaults in the workplace. In 2016, the Government Accountability Office found that rates of violence against healthcare workers were up to 12 times higher than rates for the overall workforce. That’s in addition to the fact that 70 percent of nonfatal workplace assaults that year took place in the healthcare and social service sectors.

In a statement, the bill’s main sponsor, Rep. Joe Courtney (D-Conn.), said that the legislation’s passage was the culmination of a seven-year effort to require OSHA to address violence against people employed in the healthcare and social service sectors.

“These are some of the same people we depend on to take care of us when we need it most, and they shouldn’t have to fear for their own lives while they’re at work trying to save ours,” Courtney said.

Courtney called on Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) to allow senators to debate and vote on the legislation, acknowledging that the legislation faces some hurdles in order to be signed into law.

One of those obstacles will be the Trump administration’s opposition to the bill, which its critics say will cost OSHA too much money to implement. The White House’s Office of Management and Budget said it would recommend a veto because the law would require nationwide adoption of workplace violence regulations in California, which are more strict than other states.

“At a minimum, the administration does not support turning one state’s standard into a national standard without a cost-benefit analysis to assess whether doing so might benefit workers,” the Office of Management and Budget said in reference to California’s rules, according to Bloomberg Law. “The administration also believes the bill’s timelines for issuing the interim final, proposed final, and final standards are inappropriate.”

Other Republicans in the House voiced concerns that the bill would allow OSHA to move ahead with new rules without including feedback from small businesses and the public. Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.) said on the House floor that the bill also ignores data-centric approaches to addressing workplace violence.

“Currently, there is no agreed-upon set of policies to prevent and mitigate workplace violence for health care and social service workers, and researchers in the field have pointed out the need for additional studies to determine the most effective response,” Foxx said, adding that “H.R. 1309 is not the right way to address this important issue.”

Still, the bill has received widespread support from healthcare workers associations and labor unions. AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Liz Shuler said that these workers, particularly women, are at greatest risk of workplace violence and deserve higher degrees of protection.

"This bill is about protecting their lives, and every single senator should follow the House’s lead and be clamoring to vote for this critical, life-saving legislation,” Shuler said.

About the Author

Haley Samsel is an Associate Content Editor for the Infrastructure Solutions Group at 1105 Media.

Featured

  • Allegion, Comfort Technologies Implement Mobile Credentials at the Artisan Apartment Homes in Florida

    Artisan Apartment Homes, a luxury apartment complex in Dunedin, Florida, recently transitioned from mechanical keys to electronic locks and centralized system software with support from Allegion US, a leading provider of security solutions, technology and services, and Florida-based Comfort Technologies, which specializes in deploying multifamily access control, IoT devices and software management solutions. Read Now

  • Mall of America Deploys AI-Powered Analytics to Enhance Parking Intelligence

    Mall of America®, the largest shopping and entertainment complex in North America, announced an expansion of its ongoing partnership with Axis Communications to deploy cutting-edge car-counting video analytics across more than a dozen locations. With this expansion, Mall of America (MOA) has boosted operational efficiency, improved safety and security, and enabled more informed decision-making around employee scheduling and streamlining transportation for large events. Read Now

  • Security Industry Association Launches New “askSIA” AI Tool

    The Security Industry Association (SIA) has unveiled a brand-new SIA member benefit – askSIA, a conversational AI agent designed to help users get the most out of their SIA membership, easily access SIA resources and find the latest information on SIA’s training and courses, reports and publications, events, certification offerings and more. SIA members can easily find askSIA by visiting the SIA homepage or looking for the askSIA icon in the top left of webpages. Read Now

    • Industry Events
  • Industry Embraces Mobile Access, Biometrics and AI

    A combination of evolving workplace dynamics, technology innovation and new user expectations is changing how people enter and interact with physical spaces. Access control is at the heart of these changes. Combined with biometrics and AI, mobile access control has become increasingly crucial for deploying entry solutions that are seamless, secure and adaptive to user needs. Read Now

  • Sustainable Video Solution Delivered for Landmark City of London Office Development

    An advanced, end-to-end video solution from IDIS, with a focus on reducing waste and costs, has helped a major office development in the City of London align its security with sustainability objectives. Read Now

New Products

  • Automatic Systems V07

    Automatic Systems V07

    Automatic Systems, an industry-leading manufacturer of pedestrian and vehicle secure entrance control access systems, is pleased to announce the release of its groundbreaking V07 software. The V07 software update is designed specifically to address cybersecurity concerns and will ensure the integrity and confidentiality of Automatic Systems applications. With the new V07 software, updates will be delivered by means of an encrypted file.

  • QCS7230 System-on-Chip (SoC)

    QCS7230 System-on-Chip (SoC)

    The latest Qualcomm® Vision Intelligence Platform offers next-generation smart camera IoT solutions to improve safety and security across enterprises, cities and spaces. The Vision Intelligence Platform was expanded in March 2022 with the introduction of the QCS7230 System-on-Chip (SoC), which delivers superior artificial intelligence (AI) inferencing at the edge.

  • ResponderLink

    ResponderLink

    Shooter Detection Systems (SDS), an Alarm.com company and a global leader in gunshot detection solutions, has introduced ResponderLink, a groundbreaking new 911 notification service for gunshot events. ResponderLink completes the circle from detection to 911 notification to first responder awareness, giving law enforcement enhanced situational intelligence they urgently need to save lives. Integrating SDS’s proven gunshot detection system with Noonlight’s SendPolice platform, ResponderLink is the first solution to automatically deliver real-time gunshot detection data to 911 call centers and first responders. When shots are detected, the 911 dispatching center, also known as the Public Safety Answering Point or PSAP, is contacted based on the gunfire location, enabling faster initiation of life-saving emergency protocols.