Psych facility fined $14,000 for not protecting staff from patients
The Vermont Psychiatric Care Hospital in Berlin faces $14,000 in fines for what state inspectors say was a failure to protect front-line workers from patients who become dangerous.
The Vermont Occupational Safety and Health Administration says in the citations that it found three “serious” violations of employee safety.
The 25-bed state-owned hospital serves patients with a designation called Level 1, meaning they are considered dangerous and may be suicidal or homicidal. Some of the patients come to the hospital from the criminal justice system.
“Employees providing inpatient care to patients were exposed to the hazard of workplace violence, including but not limited to physical assaults, such as spitting, biting, kicking, punching, scratching, and choking that resulted in minor to serious physical injury,” the first citation says.
Read more: https://vtdigger.org/2017/06/14/psych-facility-fined-14000-for-not-protecting-staff-from-patients/