The Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry has proposed more than $83,000 in fines against Minneapolis-based Allina Health related to more than a dozen "serious" incidents of workplace violence at Abbott Northwestern Hospital, the The Minnesota Star Tribune reported Dec. 5.
A spokesperson with the state labor department confirmed an open Minnesota OSHA Compliance inspection. However, no other information is publicly available as the health system contests the citations.
"MNOSHA cannot share details of an open inspection," the spokesperson told Becker's. "However, if there are citations issued, upon request, MNOSHA can make inspection citations public from an open inspection 20 days after the employer receives the citations via U.S. mail."
The proposed fines were highlighted in a recent news release from the Minnesota Nurses Association, which represents registered nurses at Minneapolis-based Abbott Northwestern.
Workplace violence incidents related to the proposed fines span a period from December 2023 to May 2024, according to the MNA.
The federal OSHA website states that "a serious violation shall be deemed to exist in a place of employment if there is a substantial probability that death or serious physical harm could result from a condition which exists, or from one or more practices, means, methods, operations, or processes which have been adopted or are in use, in such place of employment unless the employer did not, and could not with the exercise of reasonable diligence, know of the presence of the violation."
Nurses have called for additional safety measures — including increased security presence, the creation of a behavioral emergency response team, and mandatory workplace violence prevention training — but Allina has not taken adequate action, the union said.
Andrew Dunn, a union representative for Abbott Northwestern nurses, told the Star Tribune an additional contributing factor is that nurses are being asked to care for more patients at once, particularly at night.
Documents released by the MNA show the state labor investigation levied fines ranging from $4,000 to $7,200 for each incident at Abbott Northwestern, according to the Star Tribune. The publication noted that the citations do not include specifics about each incident, but they indicate an "absence of an effective workplace violence prevention program" when they took place.
Allina has contested OSHA's citations, seven of which it said relate to the care of one patient.
"Communities and businesses, including hospitals throughout the country, are experiencing the troubling trend of increased violent events. Allina Health takes significant precautions to mitigate violence to ensure the safety and well-being of our care team members while providing care to those who need it," a health system statement shared with Becker's said.
"In addition to our strong security presence, Abbott Northwestern Hospital provides violence prevention training to registered nurses."
Read the full Star Tribune report here.