Legislation in Missouri would give employees more freedom to retrain patients

• Missouri State Rep. Justin Hicks, a Republican from the 108th District, introduced a bill that would prevent hospitals from requiring employees to restrain patients if they fear for their safety.
• The nation’s largest association of registered nurses, National Nurses United, said improved federal legislation is the answer to heighten standards within the industry overall, with better staffing for example to more effectively respond to violent patients.
• The president of the Missouri Hospital Association voiced their concerns about the legislation, claiming it could make it harder for hospitals to care for patients.
• A recent survey by the association shows more than half of hospital nurses have seen an increase in workplace violence.
  Read more

New Jersey worker crushed to death in dumpster

• A father of two and volunteer firefighter who worked at the Ocean County Northern Recycling Center was crushed to death inside a dumpster at the Lakewood, N.J. facility.
• Timmothy Hannold was among several workers tasked with moving a dumpster that had just been delivered to the center.
• The 50-year-old Hannold, a resident of West Creek in Eagleswood Township, climbed inside the container and his fellow workers did not notice his actions.
• Hannold, who had worked as a supervisor of recycling operations for the Ocean County Department of Solid Waste Management for 22 years, was pronounced dead on the scene.
  Read more

Workplace safety could be on the decline in 2024

• Mental health is a major area employers need to focus on in 2024, according to a new Tralian study entitled Fear Factors: A 2024 Employee Survey Report on Workplace Violence, Harassment and Mental Health.
• A full 86% of the respondents either strongly or somewhat agreed that employers need to do more to address mental health needs in the workplace.
• Some of the top contributors were burnout and toxic management practices, in addition to wage stagnation that signals that macroeconomic factors are contributing to employees’ mental health concerns.
• OSHA found that nearly two million U.S. workers are victims of workplace violence each year.
  Read more

Iowa firm recognized for surgical safety

• The Association of Perioperative Registered Nurses in Independence, Iowa, named Buchanan County Health Center (BCHC) as a Center of Excellence in Surgical Safety: Smoke Evacuation.
• This award recognizes BCHC for its commitment to patient and workplace safety by taking a comprehensive approach to ensuring a smoke-free environment wherever surgical smoke is generated.
• Although research, professional organizations, and OSHA identified surgical smoke as harmful many years ago, this byproduct continues to be a safety hazard in the operating room.
• AORN’s Go Clear Award signifies that surgical teams at BCHC have completed the comprehensive, evidence-based program and adopted technologies to ensure a surgical smoke-free environment for its patients and staff.
  Read more