Press Release: California Health Care Professionals Cheer Workplace Violence Prevention Regulations

December 2015

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                       
December 17, 2015 

California Health Care Professionals Cheer Workplace Violence Prevention Regulations

LOS ANGELES – The California Occupational Safety and Health Administration (Cal/OSHA) will wrap up its public comment period on proposed workplace violence prevention regulations with a hearing in Sacramento on Thursday, December 17, 2015.

“When a crazed family member hurled a chair at me while I held a three month old baby, I had no recourse. I had nowhere to turn and the incident fell on deaf ears,” said Rosa Carcamo, RN who works in Lynwood, CA.

The Standards Board for Cal/OSHA listened to testimony from hundreds of nurses and health care professionals over the course of hearings throughout the state as regulations to prevent workplace violence in hospitals and health care settings were drafted. After the close of the public comment period on the draft regulations, Cal/OSHA will release the final regulations in 2016.

“California has always been at the helm of progress, charting new courses in health care. We lead the nation in setting precedents and standards to bring about necessary change,” said United Nurses Associations of California/Union of Health Care Professionals (UNAC/UHCP) Executive Vice President Denise Duncan, RN. “The proposed regulations would create a prevention plan, track incidents, provide training, and are a good first step towards preventing workplace violence. We need to continue to ensure enforceable safety measures are put in place to protect health care workers from aggressive and violent behavior. Once again, California has the chance to be the model for the rest of the country. We can set the course to end workplace violence in hospitals.”

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UNAC/UHCP represents 25,000 registered nurses and other health care professionals, including optometrists; pharmacists; physical, occupational and speech therapists; nurse midwives; social workers; clinical lab scientists; physician assistants and nurse practitioners. UNAC/UHCP is affiliated with the National Union of Hospital and Health Care Employees (NUHHCE) and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), AFL-CIO. For more information, please visit www.unacuhcp.org