Corizon Health Cited for Inadequate Safeguards at Rikers Island
OSHA has proposed $71,000 in fines.
According to a DOL news release, Corizon Health Inc. knowingly failed to protect its employees adequately against workplace violence and assault. The medical, dental, and psychiatric provider was inspected by OSHA and new faces $71,000 in fines. OSHA has cited Corizon for one willful violation for allegedly failing to develop and implement an effective workplace violence prevention program for its employees at Rikers Island.
"Corizon failed to address the serious problem of assaults against its employees until OSHA began its inspection," said Robert Kulick, OSHA's regional administrator in New York. "Corizon needs to develop and implement an effective, targeted workplace violence prevention program that includes administrative and engineering control, as well as personal protective equipment and training, to reduce the risk of violence against its employees."
OSHA has listed effective workplace violence prevention techniques, such as: administrative controls, including job site hazard assessment, evaluation of existing controls, implementing policies, procedures, and incident reviews; engineering controls, including the installation of panic alarm systems and protective barriers and configuring treatment areas to maximize an employee's ability to escape from workplace violence; personal protective equipment, such as personal alarm systems for all staff and an appropriate system and way to contact security/correctional officers; training, encompassing workplace violence prevention, stress management, recognition of signs of potential violence; and post-incident procedures and services to treat employees traumatized by a workplace violence incident.