The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission upheld a citation and fine against a Colorado behavioral health facility, though it agreed with the company that two out of nine proposed hazard abatement measures weren’t economically feasible.
In its Monday decision, the commission affirmed an Occupational Safety and Health Administration citation against UHS of Denver Inc., doing business as Highlands Behavioral Health Systems, stemming from incidents of patient-on-staff violence at its Littleton facility.
The commission, however, found it wouldn’t be economically feasible for the company to hire additional staff and have a dedicated security team.
The citation and $11,934 penalty were previously set aside as the court was tasked with determining economic feasibility.
The commission ruled that while the two abatement measures were overly burdensome, it said the citation and fine were proper.
The commission wrote that it was not the company’s failure to implement specific forms of abatement that was the basis for the citation, but rather, “it is the overwhelming evidence of workplace violence and [the company’s] insufficient attempts to address it.”