Oregon State Hospital granted second extension for fixing worker safety violations
Oregon State Hospital has been granted a second extension, until Feb. 28, to correct worker safety violations for which they were cited and fined by the Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).
The deadline for correcting the three citations was originally extended to Tuesday, but the hospital made another request for an extension, which Oregon OSHA said it approved.
In September, Oregon OSHA cited the hospital for one willful and two other-than-serious violations, issuing a penalty of $54,180. The hospital did not appeal the citations and already has paid the penalty.
The citations were issued after an Oregon OSHA investigation, prompted by an anonymous complaint about the hospital’s failure to address employee safety concerns.
The OSHA investigation found the state hospital was failing to investigate and implement preventative measures for frequent patient assaults on employees, which often result in employee injury. The investigation also noted the hospital’s insufficient documentation of employee injuries and wounds.
Factures, concussions and lacerations:Oregon State Hospital fails to prevent staff injuries, investigation shows
Multiple assaults on hospital staff are detailed in OSHA's more than 1,100-page investigative report which shows employees face daily violent altercations with patients and frequently are injured.
When Oregon State Hospital requested an extension, they confirmed interim measures being taken to address the violations, Oregon OSHA on Monday told the Statesman Journal.
Current actions the hospital said it is addressing include:
Reviewing reportable assaults to determine preventative strategies
Examining investigations of lost-time injuries
Assessing current data and reporting systems and gathering information to create an improved assault log
Ensuring that reportable injuries and illnesses are logged with OR-OSHA in a “timely manner”
By Feb. 28, the state hospital must correct all violations and submit an official letter of corrective action to Oregon OSHA.
The hospital’s long-term plans for correcting the OSHA violations include:
Determining internal procedures and developing software systems for accident investigation
Developing an assault log system and database for the Salem and Junction City Oregon State Hospital facilities
Developing a system to ensure injuries are tracked and managed within seven days
Sydney Wyatt covers healthcare inequities in the Mid-Willamette Valley for the Statesman Journal. Send comments, questions, and tips to her at SWyatt@gannett.com, (503) 399-6613, or on Twitter @sydney_elise44
The Statesman Journal’s coverage of healthcare inequities is funded in part by the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust, which seeks to strengthen the cultural, social, educational, and spiritual base of the Pacific Northwest through capacity-building investments in the nonprofit sector.
This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: Oregon State Hospital gets extension to fix safety violations
