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ASH fined for assaults on employees

November 30, 2012

The California Division of Occupational Safety and Health fined Atascadero State Hospital $27,000 for an ongoing pattern of patient assaults on employees.

A Cal/OSHA investigation determined that from January to September patients caused an average of 10 injuries per month at ASH. Cal/OSHA said the hospital could have implemented several safety measures to prevent the attacks on employees but did not do so.

The state mandates that every employer maintain an effective Injury and Illness Prevention Program.

Cal/OSHA also discovered that the hospital erased names of injured employees in records requested by the agency. ASH received an additional $450 fine for erasing the names, as well as a $225 fine for placing a table in front of an electrical panel.

ASH has 15 days to decide to appeal the penalties.


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This, and the bru-ha-ha with the air pollution at the Oceano Dunes, when state agencies start fining one another, it reminds me of the old shell game, with the cups and the pea. They don’t want us to know where our money is!


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Yea!!!!! The State fining itself!!!


Is this like standing in a bucket while trying to lift it?


….Hello, ASH Warden or leadership, or whoever you are, do you want to comment on fixing this or are we going to keep quiet with your hand pan scooping the State coffers!!!


BTW, THIS ISN’T A BUSINESS IT’S A GOVERNMENT FUNCTION!!!!! QUIT PROGRAMMING THE SHEEPLE LIKE ITS THE SAME THING!!!!!!


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The “State” fining itself is merely the “State” fining US the taxpayers! Fuck that. As a taxpayer, I say deal with the “patients” as the criminally insane that they are and stop the coddling. For the handwringers in charge of making policy? Spend a few days in the trenches and learn to feel the pain for yourselves.


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California state has agencies which are entrusted with the oversight of the the actions of state agencies. If a state agency fails to follow state regulations, fines are levied on the agency. If the failure to follow state regulations does not reach the level of an action for which a person or persons can be fined, there is no other way to punish the agency.


I agree that it is screwy logic to make a state-funded agency pay a fine because it doesn’t come from the agency, but from the taxpayers.


Do you have a suggestion for another way to deal with these breaches of regulations? I’m being serious. Is there another way? If there is, I would be happy to participate in a movement to change the current approach into one that makes more sense.


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Wow, Ted, you are just brimming over with your so called christian compassion for people injured on thejob.You do have that apologetics skill of “quote mining” the bible for any occassion.Had it not been for CAPT (PSYCH TECH UNION) the CAL-Osha faults would never have been found and corrected, Everybody has a RIGHT to work in a clean safe environment. Believe it, not many have what it takes to work in that place and with that clientel. By the way, Willieslo, your comment above reflects a dismal ignorance of probably everything to do with ASH, including the rates of compensation for those behind security every day.


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Those patients are a bunch of criminal crazies, it can’t be that hard to establish an attack prevention protocol on these weird vicious inmates!


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Yes and no. In the end, it is still sane/non-violent people mixing and interacting with insane/violent people. I don’t want to say “what do you expect?” but in this case, there is sure to be issues as it is that kind of environment.


It’s like getting wet working on a fishing boat… it’s just going to happen and is not 100% preventable.


I think the bigger issue is: what does that $27,000+ fine get anyone? Just another useless agency leeching off a more useful agency.


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It’s those damn UNIONS that’s causing the problem!!!


If the union workers at ASH weren’t paid so much and have such benefits and job protection, that others would love to have, partly for being in a hostile environment, is obviously the problem!


What we need is to “privatize” ASH, as so many postulate, so we can get workers in there at close to minimum wage in an “at will employment” scenario. In this way, they can be fired for no reason at all if need be, as if one of them gets hurt, then fire their @ss!


In the aftermath, and within this current economy, I am sure that others will be standing in line to replace the hurt and fired worker at close to minimum wage with no benefits other than an “at will” employment status.


Problem solved!


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Ted,

I may be mistaken, but aren’t you that Christer I see always spewing bible stuff? If so, your opinion is meaningless on this issue. The type of patients at ASH should not (and will not) be managed by minimum wage employees. To say otherwise is to show your true ignorance on the subject. Go back to your story book.


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slobiker,


But, so many of the inhabitants here at CCN are always blaming the UNIONS for everything, and they’re Christers too! Therefore, why not blame the UNIONS for these attacks as well?


The continious banter here at CCN is to “privatize” everything and to get rid of those damn UNIONS that offer a livable wage, benefits, a safe workplace, and job security.


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“Erased names?”… someone needs to go.


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I agree, roger. Whoever is erasing names has no fear of any retribution for doing so. They are actively altering/destroying patient-medical-government-criminal records. That shows a disregard for the law and patient rights that hints of sociopathy.


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