SENATE DOCKET, NO. 231        FILED ON: 1/15/2013

SENATE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 1003

 

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

_________________

PRESENTED BY:

Sal N. DiDomenico

_________________

To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:

The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:

An Act promoting the public health through workplace safety for social workers.

_______________

PETITION OF:

 

Name:

District/Address:

Sal N. DiDomenico

Middlesex and Suffolk

Timothy J. Toomey, Jr.

26th Middlesex

Daniel A. Wolf

Cape and Islands

Michael J. Rodrigues

First Bristol and Plymouth

Harriette L. Chandler

First Worcester

James B. Eldridge

Middlesex and Worcester

Michael F. Rush

Norfolk and Suffolk

Angelo J. Puppolo, Jr.

12th Hampden

Lori A. Ehrlich

8th Essex

Kenneth J. Donnelly

Fourth Middlesex

Stanley C. Rosenberg

Hampshire, Franklin and Worcester

Anthony W. Petruccelli

First Suffolk and Middlesex

Katherine M. Clark

Fifth Middlesex

Marc R. Pacheco

First Plymouth and Bristol

Marjorie C. Decker

25th Middlesex

Michael O. Moore

Second Worcester

Brian A. Joyce

Norfolk, Bristol and Plymouth

Thomas M. McGee

Third Essex

Patricia D. Jehlen

Second Middlesex

Bruce E. Tarr

First Essex and Middlesex

Karen E. Spilka

Second Middlesex and Norfolk

Benjamin Swan

11th Hampden


SENATE DOCKET, NO. 231        FILED ON: 1/15/2013

SENATE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 1003

By Mr. DiDomenico, a petition (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 1003) of Sal N. DiDomenico, Timothy J. Toomey, Jr., Daniel A. Wolf, Michael J. Rodrigues and other members of the General Court for legislation relative to workplace safety for social workers.  Public Health.

 

[SIMILAR MATTER FILED IN PREVIOUS SESSION
SEE HOUSE, NO. 3864 OF 2011-2012.]

 

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

 

_______________

In the Year Two Thousand Thirteen

_______________

 

An Act promoting the public health through workplace safety for social workers.

 

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
 

The executive office of health and human services shall by regulation require that programs providing direct services to clients and operated by or licensed, certified, or funded by a department or division of the executive office of health and human services (“programs”) establish a workplace violence prevention and crisis response plan for social workers, human services workers, volunteers, and all other employees.

Programs shall assess and annually review factors that may put social workers, human services workers, volunteers, and all other employees at risk of workplace violence. Factors shall include, but need not be limited to working outside normal business hours; working alone; working with people in crisis; and working with people with known histories of violent behavior.

Based on the assessment and subsequent annual review, the program shall: (a) establish a system for centrally recording all incidents of workplace violence or threats of workplace violence against social workers, human services workers, volunteers, and all other employees; (b) prepare a written violence prevention and crisis response plan that includes measures the program intends to take to respond to any incident of workplace violence against human services workers; (c) provide each worker with a copy of the violence prevention and crisis response plan; (d)  implement training to educate social workers, human services workers, volunteers, and all other employees about workplace violence and ways to reduce risks; and (e) develop and maintain a violence prevention and response team to monitor ongoing compliance with the violence prevention and crisis response plan and to assist any social workers, human services workers, volunteers, and all other employees victimized by or threatened with workplace violence.