​The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has fined a Massachusetts behavioral health facility a proposed $207,690 for continuing to expose workers to serious workplace violence hazards, OSHA announced on August 11, 2017. OSHA originally issued a serious violation against the facility in 2015, which resulted in a formal settlement that included establishment of a workplace violence-prevention program. After receiving a complaint that the facility was still putting workers at risk, OSHA opened a new investigation on January 5, 2017, and found the center failed to comply with multiple terms of the settlement. "Our inspectors found that employees throughout the [facility] continued to be exposed to incidents of workplace violence that could have been greatly reduced had the employer fully implemented the settlement agreement," said OSHA's regional administrator. The facility has informed OSHA that it intends to contest the findings in front of the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.

HRC Recommends: Organizations should review their policies and ensure that any acts of workplace violence are reported and managed appropriately. A zero tolerance policy should be implemented, encompassing administrative controls, policies and procedures, and security systems. Safety training should include escalation awareness, ability to identify potential violence predictors, debriefing procedures, and reporting procedures. The organization should review OSHA guidance and ensure that the organization's policy meets the requirements.