Press Release
Nurses Applaud U.S. House of Representatives Passage of Legislation Protecting Health Care, Social Service Workers from Workplace Violence
National Nurses United
April 16, 2021
Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act sets high standard to protect workers and patients
National Nurses United (NNU) today applauds the U.S. House of Representatives’ passage of important federal legislation aimed at protecting health care and social services workers in places such as hospitals and clinics.
The House today passed the Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act (H.R. 1195), sponsored by Rep. Joe Courtney (D-CT), in a bipartisan vote. The bill mandates that the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) create a federal standard requiring health care and social service employers to develop and implement a comprehensive workplace violence prevention plan.
Commentary: Yesterday, Representative Yvette Herrell voted against the Paycheck Fairness Act, which would help reduce the wage gap by giving all workers more power to fight for equal pay, especially women and minorities who have long faced wage discrimination. This passed the House on a bipartisan vote.
Herrell also opposed the Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act today which would protect nurses, physicians, social workers, emergency responders, and other health care workers from violence in the workplace This passed the House on a bipartisan vote of 254 to 166.
“Once again, Representative Herrell is putting her personal politics ahead of the needs of hardworking New Mexicans,”
The new secretary of labor announced the agency will put COVID-19 standard plans on hold while it reviews the latest scientific data and guidance. The Biden administration previously asked OSHA to determine the need for a COVID-19 emergency temporary standard by March 15.
OSHA s updated guidance for Compliance Safety and Health Officers (CSHOs) is providing employers with insight into how the agency is handling COVID-19 inspections. The agency s Response Plan includes safety program elements to evaluate, applicable standards and specific inspection items for health care facilities.
The Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Services Act was approved by the House Education and Labor Committee on March 24. The bill was re-introduced in February and would require an OSHA standard on workplace violence prevention plans for the health care and services industries. The bill will now go before the full House.
POLITICO
Get the Weekly Shift newsletter
Email
Sign Up
By signing up you agree to receive email newsletters or updates from POLITICO and you agree to our privacy policy and terms of service. You can unsubscribe at any time and you can contact us here. This sign-up form is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Presented by Uber Driver Stories
Editor’s Note: Weekly Shift is a weekly version of POLITICO Pro’s daily Employment & Immigration policy newsletter, Morning Shift. POLITICO Pro is a policy intelligence platform that combines the news you need with tools you can use to take action on the day’s biggest stories. Act on the news with POLITICO Pro.