Hazard Prevention and Control

Once risks are identified, the workplace violence prevention task force must determine appropriate risk reduction interventions, practices and policies and implement them.

Engineering controls address environmental risks by removing the hazard from the workplace or create a barrier between the worker and the hazard. Examples of engineering controls include:

• Enclosing nurses' stations and reception areas;
• Designing for safety (two exits per room, furniture arrangement, better lighting).

Administrative and work practice controls affect the way staff perform jobs or tasks. Changes in work practices and administrative procedures can help prevent violent incidents. Examples of work practice controls include:

• Ensuring that adequate staff are available, especially at the riskiest times, and in the riskiest areas, and making sure no one is working alone;
• Developing systems for communicating relevant information on patient history and behaviors by all direct care staff, from one shift to the next (OSHA, 2016).