By Rob Wolff California’s Governor has just signed a bill (AB 1136) requiring hospitals in his state to implement a patient handling policy that includes “lift teams” trained in moving patients with appropriate equipment. Among other things, the law provides that “employer[s] shall maintain a safe patient handling policy at all times for all patient… Continue Reading
Monthly Archives: October 2011
Unionized Hospitals Must Tread Carefully Before Implementing Communicable Disease Policies
By Jennifer Mora Recently, in Virginia Mason Hospital, 357 NLRB No. 53, the National Labor Relations Board considered whether a Seattle hospital violated its duty to bargain under the National Labor Relations Act when it implemented a flu-prevention policy that required nurses to wear a mask if they refused to be immunized against influenza. In doing so, the… Continue Reading
New Connecticut Law Targets Workplace Violence Risk to Healthcare Employers
By George O’Brien As discussed in a recent post on this blog, a number of states have enacted legislation to address the increased violence against healthcare employees. In Connecticut, a new statute requiring healthcare institutions to take a variety of actions to protect employees from workplace violence took effect on October 1, 2011. The law covers… Continue Reading