April is National Workplace Violence Awareness Month. Unfortunately, workplace violence incidents are continuing to increase at Intermountain facilities. Disruptive, aggressive, or threatening behaviors aren’t tolerated at Intermountain, including:
- Physical assault or abuse
- Verbal assault, abuse, or harassment
- Offensive, abusive, or inappropriate language
- Threats
Do you know what to do if you’re faced with one of these behaviors? Your facility’s Recognize and Respond guidelines are designed to keep you safe in these tumultuous situations and reduce caregiver injuries. All facilities—hospitals, clinics, and other locations—have their own guidelines to follow. Reducing caregiver injuries also supports the caregiver safety KPI, which is tied to the caregiver incentive plan.
“It’s important to know how to get help and when to get help to de-escalate potentially violent or disruptive events,” says Craig Allen, safety management director. “The Recognize and Respond guidelines are best practices to keep you and your team safe.”
Review the guidelines for your facility. If you have any ideas on how to prevent violence in your facility, speak with your leader.