BILL ANALYSIS
AB 1083
Page 1
ASSEMBLY THIRD READING
AB 1083 (John A. Perez)
As Amended May 26, 2009
Majority vote
HEALTH 17-0 APPROPRIATIONS 12-0
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|Ayes:|Jones, Fletcher, Adams, |Ayes:|De Leon, Ammiano, Charles |
| |Ammiano, Block, Carter, | |Calderon, Davis, Fuentes, |
| |Conway, De La Torre, De | |Hall, John A. Perez, |
| |Leon, Hall, Hayashi, | |Price, Skinner, Solorio, |
| |Hernandez, Bonnie | |Audra Strickland, Torlakson |
| |Lowenthal, | | |
| |Nava, V. Manuel Perez, | | |
| |Salas, | | |
| |Audra Strickland | | |
| | | | |
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SUMMARY : Requires all hospitals to annually conduct a security
and safety assessment and, using the assessment, develop and
annually update a security plan to protect hospital personnel,
patients, and visitors from aggressive or violent behavior.
Specifically, this bill :
1)Requires all hospitals, after July 1, 2010, to annually
conduct a security and safety assessment and, using the
assessment, develop and annually update a security plan with
measures to protect hospital personnel, patients, and visitors
from aggressive or violent behavior.
2)Permits the security plan to include efforts to cooperate with
local law enforcement.
3)Requires hospitals, when developing the plan and assessment,
to consult with affected employees, medical staff and their
representatives, and upon request, to provide the assessment
and plan to any employee, medical staff member or their
bargaining agent.
EXISTING LAW :
1)Requires all licensed hospitals to conduct a single security
and safety assessment, and using the assessment, develop a
AB 1083
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security plan to protect patients, staff, and visitors to the
hospital from aggressive or violent behavior.
2)Specifies that the security and safety assessment examine
trends of aggressive/violent behavior and track violent
incidents at the facility.
3)Directs hospitals to consider applicable guidelines and
standards from the Department of Public Health, the Division
of Occupational Safety and Health and the federal Occupational
Safety and Health Administration.
4)Requires hospitals to have sufficient personnel to provide
security consistent with the security plan and security
personnel to be trained in applicable techniques and skills.
5)Requires hospitals to report any assault or battery against
any hospital employee which results in injury to local law
enforcement within 72 hours of the incident.
FISCAL EFFECT : The Assembly Appropriations Committee found
unknown annual costs, likely less than $50,000 to the University
of California medical centers, to annual update their safety
assessments and provide employee access to the safety plans.
COMMENTS : This bill is, according to the Service Employees
International Union (SEIU), intended to update existing law
regarding hospital security planning to better prevent or manage
aggressive and violent acts in or near hospitals. SEIU reports
that hospitals now maintain security plans, but that these plans
are not consistently updated, and often exclude employee
participation. SEIU states that violence against hospital
employees is increasing, and that greater planning and
vigilance, as required in this bill, will reduce the risk to
hospital staff, patients and visitors.
Recent data developed by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)
indicates that hospital workers are at elevated risk for
violence in the workplace. The BLS estimates that in a typical
year 2,637 nonfatal assaults are made on hospital workers in
this country, a rate of 8.3 assaults per 10,000 workers. This
rate is much higher than all other industries which is 2
nonfatal assaults per 10,000 workers. Nurses and aides with
direct patient contact are at higher risk for violence as are
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emergency response personnel, hospital security officers, and
other providers. A survey of nearly 700 California doctors and
nurses by SEIU found that one half of respondents had witnessed
violence in their hospital and that one quarter had been
targeted in a violent incident. The National Institute for
Occupational Safety recommends participation of employees in
development of security plans to reduce violence in health care
settings.
Analysis Prepared by : John D. Miller / HEALTH / (916)
319-2097
FN: 0000956