Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act

Floor Speech

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Ms. WILSON of Florida. Madam Chair, I am pleased to speak in support of this important and necessary piece of legislation.

Through my work as chairwoman of the Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions, and as former ranking member of the Subcommittee on Workforce Protections, I have worked extensively on protecting America's workers from unsafe conditions in the workplace.

This legislation is an important step toward protecting our healthcare and social service workers from workplace violence. Unfortunately, it also is a very necessary step.

We know that healthcare and social service workers experience the highest rate of serious injury due to workplace violence. They, literally, are jumped on and beaten up by their patients at work, thrown against walls and floors, suffering bone fractures and brain injuries.

These workers have a lost time injury rate of 14.8 per 10,000 workers, compared to 3.1 for all other workers, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Currently, Federal efforts to protect workers from workplace violence depends solely on the use of OSHA's general duty clause. That part of the Occupational Safety and Health Act requires employers to provide a workplace free from recognized hazards. However, it is legally cumbersome to apply and is mostly applied after an injury occurs. What is needed are standards to prevent injuries in advance, not after-the- fact enforcement.

While OSHA has adopted guidelines for preventing violence against healthcare and social service workers, these are only temporary and voluntary. This legislation will codify these guidelines and provide OSHA with the necessary authority to require healthcare facilities and social service providers to develop and implement a workplace violence prevention plan.

Madam Chair, while these changes are important to the entire Nation, they are even more important to my district in Florida. Given the large population of senior citizens, the need for healthcare and social service workers is great.

Performing these jobs can be both physically and emotionally draining, even without the threat of being attacked. The added danger of physical violence may lead many potential healthcare and social service workers to seek employment elsewhere, to leave the field altogether, or quit.

Violence in the workplace has a cascading effect on everyone involved, from the workers who bear the brunt of the violent attacks, to the families they serve, to the patients who witness the violence, some in a very fragile state.

What we do know from evidence and research is that healthcare facilities that have violence prevention plans have cut the rate of injuries and related workers' compensation costs.

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Ms. WILSON of Florida. Mr. Chair, for these reasons, I urge every Member to vote ``yes'' on H.R. 1309, the Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act.

Mr. Chair, I include in the Record a letter in support of this legislation from the American Federation of Teachers. Washington, DC, November 19, 2019. House of Representatives, Washington, DC.

Dear Representative: On behalf of the 1.7 million members of the American Federation of Teachers, including 170,000 healthcare workers, I strongly urge you to vote YES on H.R. 1309, the Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act. I also want to thank Rep. Joe Courtney (D-Conn.) for his leadership on this bill and for his steadfast commitment to protecting all healthcare workers.

When healthcare professionals show up to work, they shouldn't have to worry about whether they are going to be injured in an assault. Sadly, healthcare and social service workers are nearly five times more likely to be assaulted while on the job than the rest of our workforce. The costs of this violence are high: in injury rates, in professionals being driven from doing the work they love, and in workers' compensation claims and staff shortages.

H.R. 1309 would require hospitals and other facilities to develop and implement comprehensive violence prevention plans and provide whistleblower protections for nurses and other workers facing violence. Current federal workplace protections do not focus on healthcare and social service workers and don't cover those working in public facilities. This bill is a chance to make healthcare settings safer environments for staff and patients alike. As one of the largest healthcare unions in the country, the AFT has been striving to address workplace violence for years; this is our members' top healthcare priority.

I hear from AFT healthcare members about violence all the time: A nurse was choked to the point of unconsciousness last year; a nurse was stabbed in 2017; members have suffered bone fractures and brain injuries from being thrown against walls and floors. The House Education and Labor Committee held a hearing on the topic of workplace violence earlier this year. In her testimony, the AFT witness described being attacked:

He then spun around on his back and kicked his leg high into the air striking me in the neck, hitting with such force to my throat that my head snapped backward; I heard this ``bang'' and ``pop, `` and all the air just rushed out of me. . . . Since June 2015, I have been diagnosed with moderate to severe post-traumatic stress disorder, moderate anxiety, insomnia, depressive disorder and social phobia related to this incident. . . . I LOVED being a nurse. I have a huge problem still calling myself a nurse. I do not know what to call myself now. There is a deep loss when you used to make a difference in the lives of people, in your true calling and with passion. Now, that space is filled with extreme sadness and fear. . . . I lost my career.

No one should face violence or intimidation, or fear for their safety, while working to heal others and save lives. Violence is not just ``part of the job,'' and studies show that prevention plans work. Many violent incidents can be predicted and minimized with the right staffing, policies and protocols, and this legislation builds upon well-established guidelines from the Department of Labor.

I strongly urge you to support the nurses, social workers and other healthcare professionals in your district by voting YES on H.R. 1309. Sincerely, Randi Weingarten. President.

Ms. FOXX of North Carolina. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

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