By Brenda Flanagan
NJTV News Correspondent
The OSHA citation lists harrowing attacks at Bergen Regional Medical Center this year. It describes ”…numerous incidents of violent behavior and threats by patients and visitors…resulting in injuries to the head, eyes, face, hands, legs and body from hits, kicks, punches …” including a nurse punched in the face while trying to stop an argument between two patients; a technician punched in the eye while drawing blood; a caregiver violently attacked and the security guard who responded punched, kicked and bitten by a patient.
“We found enough evidence in their safety and health records and in their incident reports that made us very concerned that their workplace violence program was not effective,” said OSHA Director Lisa Levy.
Levy called the citation serious. A prior OSHA inspection at Bergen Regional in 2014 also turned up problems. The agency issued a hazard alert and ordered improvements, wasn’t impressed.
“It wasn’t effective, because so many workers had been injured in the recent past and so they need to do a more effective safety and health program and a more effective workplace violence program,” she said.
The violence can be terrifying, victims say.
“I was screaming basically for my life,” said Nurse Sandra Giancarlo.
Giancarlo described getting attacked in January in Bergen Regional’s mental health ward by a patient who left her too injured to work.
“She was whipping me around by my hair, throwing me up against the desk. She weighed almost 400 pounds and I weighed 98,” she said.
“At that point, trying to work with the administration, trying to get a workplace violence system in place wasn’t happening. It wasn’t happening well. And we were left with no alternative but to file an OSHA complaint,” said Bernie Gerard, 1st Vice President for Health Professionals and Allied Employees.
“It’s very important to the agency because the amounts of injuries and illnesses that happen at hospitals are astronomical,” said Levy.
“I was alarmed to read the OSHA report,” County Executive Jim Tedesco said in a statement, noting OSHA “…issued a number of citations to Bergen Regional Medical Center’s private management company for failing to protect the hospital’s employees. I have called upon the hospital’s management to explain and address these violations immediately.”
The State also inspected the medical center this March and found “deficiencies” which it declined to explain. But, the Center’s Director for Behavioral Health Services Dr. Gabriel Kaplan says it treats difficult patients.
“People who come for help to us come because they have either violence towards themselves or towards others,
He says they’ve dealt with hazardous issues.
“Well obviously any instance of injury is regrettable. We understand that the risks are there and we work very, very diligently to reduce them and we’ve seen that our rate of injury and violence are much less than the national norm.”
OSHA recommended an almost $14,000 fine against Bergen Regional, but the medical center requested a meeting at which it could work out a settlement agreement. The county executive says he plans to be there.