Protecting Healthcare Workers from Workplace Violence

Workplace violence in healthcare facilities is a growing concern. Nurses, doctors, and other healthcare workers are victims of workplace violence. According to the American College of Emergency Physicians, more than 70% of physicians surveyed have witnessed an assault on a healthcare worker, with almost half of them having personally been victimized. In the sometimes chaotic environment of emergency rooms and hospitals, nearly all assaults are from patients, including strong verbal attacks and acts of aggression. These experiences can be traumatic and easily escalate without some safeguards in place to protect healthcare workers. Private security guards are one measure that many American hospitals are using to ensure a safe workplace and environment for healthcare workers across the nation.

Taking a Stand Against Workplace Violence

As healthcare workers face violence in the workplace, the government has mandated that healthcare and social service workplaces implement a safety plan. This plan includes prompt investigations into incidents, training for workers on handling workplace violence, maintaining records of violence risks, conducting hazard assessments, and submitting incident reports. Every year, healthcare facilities must provide reports to the Secretary of Labor and protect whistleblowers.

Adding Security Guards to Enhance Protection in Healthcare Facilities

Healthcare facilities include hospitals, emergency rooms, urgent care centers, blood drawing services, and a range of other medical services. Healthcare workers are at greater risk due to the patients who may be dealing with trauma, suicidal thoughts, drug overdoses, and other situations that are unique to healthcare. Adding a security guard presence in any healthcare facility has been shown to significantly reduce the number of workplace violence incidents while creating a sense of safety for workers and visitors.

The value of a uniformed officer in the lobby of a healthcare facility, the parking lot, or on foot patrol, floor to floor sends a clear message that violence is not welcome. A security guard trained in healthcare security and safety ensures the risks and threats are known, and they have experience handling situations unique to healthcare facilities. Emotions run high, and the environment can quickly change in emergency centers, which is why hiring security guards to protect healthcare facilities is a growing trend. Healthcare workers choose a selfless career to help others, and providing them with a safe workplace environment is the least employers can do.

Workplace Security Guards

Healthcare is one of the industries that chooses private security officers to create a safe and orderly workplace. However, workplace violence affects all industries, and having someone qualified in conflict resolution, de-escalation, and emergencies allows workers to focus on their roles without the distraction or fear that comes from an unsecured workplace. Many outside factors, including politics, healthcare reform and policies, disaster response, and more impact healthcare. We have seen in the news that healthcare executives are targeted, which is why security providers like Off Duty Officers, Inc. offer full-scale and comprehensive security solutions customized to the unique healthcare needs of their customers. Since 1993, we have dedicated our business to serving healthcare-related industries and facilities to ensure safety in the workplace.

Security Protection Hospitals

Hospitals and emergency rooms have more workplace violence incidents, and this is partially due to the intensity of situations that occur in hospitals in comparison to a location that takes blood and urine samples. Every healthcare facility can benefit from private security protection because uniformed officers let people know they are not going to get away with disruptive behaviors, theft, or violence against a worker. It is well known that security guards establish order and authority. In general, people find comfort in the presence of security guards in healthcare facilities and hospitals, where you're likely to see them regularly, and possibly even more than one officer on duty per shift. Security officers in hospitals often work shifts to cover 24 hours, ensuring no unnecessary vulnerability outside of regular business hours.

Security officers can serve in a customer service role, helping people get to their destination, but also ensure visitor hours and other rules and guidelines are adhered to. Healthcare workers don’t have the time in their shift to watch every visitor, so security guards are explicitly trained in healthcare and know the risks and what to watch for that others may not catch. Theft of prescription medicines and other equipment is a genuine concern in hospitals, especially those in lower-income areas. It is essential that drugs and equipment are accounted for, and a uniformed security guard will identify anyone acting suspicious to ensure theft does not occur. Liability is significantly reduced when hiring private workplace violence and healthcare security guards.

If you are responsible for a healthcare workplace, whether a hospital, emergency room, urgent care, or other related facility, call Off Duty Officers today at 844-770-0609, and speak with our security coordinator. We offer free quotes and don't require a contract to dispatch a qualified and skilled healthcare facility workplace officer.