Assulted on the job

[Vedder316]

I am an LPN @ a locked residential facility for mentally ill patients. I have been there for three years and have enjoyed my job up until recently. We have a new batch of residents that are constantly threatening, touching and flat out assaulting me. It is a "hands off" facility and PRN medication for agitation etc is rarely accepted. What are my rights as a nurse regarding the inappropriate touching, and assaults? These patients are all mainly on a 302 compliment and court ordered to be there for at least 90 days. I understand that in this line of work I will be touched, threatened and occasionally assaulted but it is happening almost daily and with out any repercussion to the patients. I am willing to tolerate it because it is a great paying job and I do enjoy working with that demographic, but the few patients that constantly are acting like this I would like to know what I can do. Management states we cannot do anything about it as we will infringe on their "rights". Things are almost unsafe at this point. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. Take care.

Matt

[Esme12, ASN, BSN, RN]

Has this been reported to a higher authority like the state labor board? This is a blatant lack of employee safety. Will the management wait until the innappripriate touching beocme a sexual assault to them do something? By then it will be too late. No patient has the right to touch or assault staff. Sure, patients have their rights - but surely they can't expect that doing whatever the heck they please is one of them. It this simple - committed patients or not, locked facility or not, i don't care who you are - no one has the right to assault another human being.

I is the facilities responsibility to provide you with a safe working enviorment, I agree with doument, document, document.....and then I'd call OSHA......

http://www.osha.gov/ immediately!

[Batman25]

Start filling out incident reports for every single infraction. You need to have a paper trail here because they will ignore it as long as they can when still on a verbal level. Paperowrk puts them on notice.

You have the right to a safe work environment. Call OSHA as they should be able to help. Stave Labor Board is another option. This is an unsafe environment and if it doesn't improve in addition to reporting them look for another job before you end up in a hospital bed or worse.

Your management is a bunch of lazy morons that doesn't care about their staff.

[carltoncgfns10]

@ batman25 your absolutely right!

[AJPV]

I believe you could call the police and file criminal charges. You might also be able to initiate a civil suit against the patients. Just because they are patients does not mean that they have some sort of legal immunity. I would think that if enough police reports & criminal charges pile up, your employer might feel some pressure to find a professional and legitimate solution. You could also file injury reports for yourself with your HR department and claim worker's comp for physical therapy, and time off work if needed. I would hate to think you would have to go down this road - hopefully your employer will see the benefit of accepting responsibility for ensuring staff safety.