University of California (UC) Davis Medical Center registered nurses rallied outside the hospital last week, claiming UC’s health system is not complying with California regulations requiring workplace violence prevention plans.
The deadline for compliance was April 1, 2018, but UC Davis, UCLA and UC San Francisco registered nurses say those institutions haven’t developed comprehensive plans, reports the Sacramento Bee.
UCD Health, however, said in a statement that: “The safety of our staff, patients, visitors and students is always a top priority at UC Davis Medical Center. We agree that preventing workplace violence is a critical issue for everyone, which is why we have been taking a number of proactive measures to improve safety at our Sacramento campus.”
UCD Health said it’s already increased the security budget by 25%; created a separate space in the ED for patients in police custody or deemed a danger to themselves or others; deployed metal detectors and other protective measures in the ED; and improved lighting and security in parking lots, including safety escorts for employees, reports the Sacramento Bee.
From 2002 to 2013, incidents of serious workplace violence (those requiring days off for the injured) were four times more common in healthcare than in the overall private industry, according to 2013 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Emergency nurses are particularly prone to being victims of workplace violence, with about 70% reporting being hit and kicked while on the job, according to the Emergency Nurses Association.
About two-thirds of UC Davis nurses said they’ve experienced workplace violence at least once, and more than half said they didn’t feel safe in their parking spots.
