Workplace safety: Violence

As a nursing assistant, you may encounter workplace violence. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, or NIOSH, defines workplace violence as “the act or threat of violence, ranging from verbal abuse to physical assaults, directed toward persons at work or on duty.” Some examples of workplace violence include written or verbalized threats; harassment, like being followed, yelled at, or sworn at; or physical harm done by hitting, kicking, stabbing, or shooting.

Healthcare team members, especially nurses and nursing assistants, may be victims of violent acts from internal sources, such as coworkers, clients, or visitors, or external sources, like robbers and muggers in the facility parking area.Now, violence can occur anywhere in the healthcare setting, but it is particularly common in emergency rooms, waiting areas, mental health units, and parking lots because these areas are often associated with multiple risk factors linked to violence.

These risk factors include people with weapons, acutely disturbed or violent individuals, criminals brought in by police, abusers of illicit drugs or alcohol, individuals with mental health issues, upset family members or visitors, long wait times due to understaffing, and poorly lit areas.

Working alone, especially without easily accessible communication devices, is also associated with an increased risk of workplace violence.

Lack of staff training to recognize and react appropriately to hostile or assaultive situations can also contribute to increased workplace violence.Now, as a nursing assistant, your role when it comes to workplace violence is threefold: keep yourself safe, keep others safe, and immediately report any incidents to the nurse.

You can help keep yourself safe by knowing your way around the care facility, communicating your whereabouts at all times, ensuring you aren’t alone in any poorly lit or low traffic areas, and remaining alert to any suspicious persons or activities.

Avoid walking alone at night whenever possible. You can contribute to keeping others safe by helping to make sure visiting hours and policies are enforced; items like scissors, pens, or tools that could be used as weapons are not visible or accessible to clients or visitors; and access to restricted areas, like pharmacies or drug storage areas, is controlled.

There are also many safety devices used by care facilities to keep you and others safe, such as closed-circuit video camera systems to monitor activity throughout the facility; metal detectors that check for weapons; bullet-resistant glass at high-risk areas, such as the emergency department; and door alarms to alert staff of unauthorized access.

Curved mirrors at hallway intersections are often in place to see around corners. There are also communication devices, like panic buttons, phones, and radios, to directly reach security staff when necessary.Now, in the event you encounter an agitated or aggressive person, there are some very important things to consider and do.

You must remain calm and try talking to them in a calm voice. Do not attempt to touch them.

Instead, stand far enough away from the person so that they cannot hit or kick you and make sure you are near a door so that you do not end up trapped in the room with them.

If there are any items in the room that might be used as weapons, make those items inaccessible to them and calmly communicate that you will get the nurse to speak with them.

Do all this while taking care to avoid any antagonizing body language, such pointing at them in a scolding manner. Then, safely leave the room as soon as possible and immediately report the matter to the nurse and security staff.All right, as a quick recap… NIOSH defines workplace violence as “the act or threat of violence, ranging from verbal abuse to physical assaults, directed toward persons at work or on duty.” Violence in the healthcare setting is most common in areas with multiple risk factors for violence, like emergency rooms, waiting rooms, mental health units, and parking lots.

When it comes to workplace violence, your role as a nursing assistant is to keep yourself safe, keep others safe, and report any incidents to the nurse.

In the event you encounter an agitated or aggressive person, remain calm, stay away from the person, leave the room as soon as possible, and report the matter to the nurse and security staff.