November 21, 2024

Signature Health takes multiple actions to improve safety after US Department of Labor investigation of Maple Heights stabbing

Nurse practitioner suffered stab wounds in April 2024 patient attack

MAPLE HEIGHTS, OH ‒ An Ohio outpatient mental health treatment facility has taken numerous steps to improve workplace safety, including employing a weapons screening process, enhancing security and implementing staff training, after a patient attacked a nurse practitioner violently in April 2024.

Responding to the incident, investigators with the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration learned the patient stabbed an employee repeatedly with a knife the patient brought into a Signature Health Inc. facility in Maple Heights. Despite the risk of injury, the facility's lone security guard and other co-workers were able to stop the attack from continuing.

"Since this disturbing incident, Signature Health has worked diligently with OSHA to improve its safety programs and has enacted measures to reduce the likelihood of future incidents," said OSHA Area Director Howard Eberts in Cleveland. "A comprehensive workplace violence prevention program requires screening procedures, effective employee training and immediate reviews of incidents and near-misses to address risks and ensure continual process improvement."

After the OSHA investigation, Signature Health received a citation involving a serious violation under the OSH Act's general duty clause for failing to protect employees against workplace violence. Signature Health entered into a settlement agreement with OSHA, in which it has agreed to pay a penalty of $16,131 by Nov. 30, 2024.

In the last six months since the incident, Signature Health has implemented the following actions at the Maple Heights facility and will expand this program to all its facilities corporate-wide:

• Install weapons detection equipment.
• Hire risk consultation specialists to review its procedures.
• Establish a position focused on workplace violence prevention and emergency response.
• Strengthen its workplace violence prevention program by updating policies and procedures such as the Weapon Response and Preparedness Procedure.
• Conduct training for all employees on how objects – other than known weapons such as guns and knives – can be used as weapons.
• Establish workplace violence committees.
• Add signage stating no weapons allowed.

Signature Health Inc. is a community-based, non-unionized healthcare provider with seven facilities in northeast Ohio. The Maple Heights location provides mental healthcare, addiction recovery, medication-assisted treatment, primary healthcare, walk-in assessments, counseling services and urinalysis services. The company employs about 1,100 people, including about 100 in Maple Heights.

Workers in the healthcare and social service industries cope with the highest rates of workplace violence injuries. In fact, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports these workers are five times as likely to suffer a workplace violence injury than others.

Workplace violence is a widely recognized hazard in the healthcare industry. Between 2011 and 2018, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that violent assaults against healthcare workers rose by 64 percent, while the 2019 American Nurses Association survey stated one in four nurses reported being physically assaulted on the job.

OSHA has guidelines for preventing workplace violence in the healthcare industry.

Learn more about OSHA.

Media Contacts:

Scott Allen, 312-353-4727, allen.scott@dol.gov
Rhonda Burke, 312-353-4807, burke.rhonda@dol.gov

Release Number: 24-2221-CHI