Good communication makes workplace violence prevention possible
If you happen to be in California, July 1, 2024 brought about the final implementation of law S.B. 553, which mandates employers with more than 10 employees have a workplace violence prevention plan. Certainly, hospitals have been working on this for a while, but it seems that every Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ) has a slightly different take on what that may or may not represent.
That said, I ran across an interesting article on the California law that I think is worth checking out. It does a good job of outlining the requirements for businesses in California, as well as discussing some implementation strategies. As with pretty much anything I can think of in the risk management realm, a lot of the success (or failure) of any prevention/response plan is making sure that the organizational culture (as well as the organizational infrastructure) supports effective communications of incidents and occurrences without fear of reprisal or other recriminations. The more clearly incidents can be communicated, the greater the likelihood of a useful resolution. It’s all about the data! And the best way to get that data is open communications with the folks who “live” at point of care/point of service—it is an operational imperative to have effective discourse around any higher risk condition(s).
For those of you not in California, there is a historical precedent of regulatory “waves” starting in California and making their way across the nation. I don’t know that I would be inclined to argue the usefulness of any of the requirements outlined in the California law—it makes good sense from a practical standpoint and likely reflects very closely what you are already doing. But if you’re finding it to be something of a “tough sell” in your organization, this might be just the right time to assess where you are vis-à-vis the potential impact of this law.
About the Author: Steve MacArthur is a safety consultant with The Chartis Group. He brings more than 30 years of healthcare management and consulting experience to his work with hospitals, physician offices, and ambulatory care facilities across the country. He is the author of HCPro's Hospital Safety Director's Handbook and is an advisory board member for Accreditation and Quality Compliance Center. Contact Steve at stevemacsafetyspace@gmail.com.