* EC: OSHA & Worker Safety OSHA Worker Safety in Hospitals Program Launched Online: Online tools include comparison of OSHA’s requirements with Joint Commission standards[®] [REF: EOC, CJCP, SFT] EC News, April 2014, Vol 17, #4, Pg 9  JCe1404_B6

There is no question that hospital work can be hazardous. The rate of work-related injuries and illnesses in hospitals is “almost twice the rate for private industry as a whole”.  Dr. Erin S. DuPree, chief medical officer and vice president of The Joint Commission Center for Transforming Healthcare, says there is “growing evidence that employee well-being affects patient safety . . . (and as such), health care organizations striving for high reliability should be concerned with safety for both patients and workers.” OSHA’s new Worker Safety in Hospitals website provides information and tools to assist and promote improved worker safety. These include a reference document that compares TJC and OSHA standards and a self-assessment tool, “How Safe is Your Hospital for Workers?” The latter tool uses Total Case Incidence Rate (TCIR) and Days Away, Restricted, or Transferred (DART) as indicator/scores for worker safety.
Tip: Click here to calculate TCIR and/or DART scores for your hospital.  Compare your results with the safest 25% of hospitals whose scores are below 3.1 (TCIR) and 0.6 (DART).
See also: TJC monograph, Improving Patient and Worker Safety: Opportunities for Synergy, Collaboration, and Innovation. Pay particular attention to Section 3.4 on reducing violence in the health care setting and its description of common risk factors for hospital violence.
See also: J*_PC0102_Assessment: Risk of Violence/Danger to Others
See also: Sentinel Event Alert, Issue 45: Preventing violence in the health care setting (June 3, 2010)