Political Quotes

“I thank the gentleman for yielding. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1195, the Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act. Over the past year, we have voiced exceptional praise for healthcare and social service workers, who have risked their lives to care for ourselves and our loved ones. Yet, for too long, we have failed to address the high and growing rates of workplace violence for these workers, who are regularly beaten, kicked, punched, and sometimes even killed on the job. In 2018, healthcare workers accounted for nearly three out of four of all nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses caused by violence. Let me repeat that. In 2018, healthcare workers alone accounted for nearly three out of four of all nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses caused by violence. Many of these incidents are foreseeable and can be prevented by sound workplace violence prevention plans. They work, and when they are implemented, they can reduce workers' compensation claims. Yet the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, or OSHA, still has no enforceable workplace standard that requires healthcare and social service employers to implement violence prevention programs. We have tried voluntary guidance for the past 25 years, yet still too many employers choose not to follow the best evidence on what is well understood to be authoritative guidance issued by OSHA.…”