Organizational factors related to safety in a psychiatric hospital: employee perceptions

Physical assaults on mental health care workers by aggressive patients were the leading cause of occupational injuries to staff working in a community psychiatric hospital. More than dollar 1 million was estimated to be lost in 1 year because of these occupational injuries. This problem was assessed by examining the organizational factors related to safety at the hospital. The cross sectional survey design measured the perceptions of mental health care workers about the commitment of management to safety (i.e., safety climate). Overall, results indicated the subscale for safety climate was high (3.77 +/- .66 [mean +/- SD] on a 5 scale), given the magnitude of recalled incidents and injuries involving patients against staff. Safety climate was associated with three variables that included administrative controls, occupational stress, and job task demands. Results of the study were useful in determining specific changes for improving safety. The study findings demonstrated the practicality and feasibility of in-house assessments to diagnose areas that require attention, support, and improvement.