(a)  A hospital shall maintain a record of assaults committed against employees that occur on the premises of the hospital. The record shall include, but need not be limited to, the following:

(1)  The name of the hospital and address of the premises on which each assault occurred;

(2)  The date, time, and specific location where the assault occurred;

(3)  The name, job title, and department or unit assignment of the employee who was assaulted;

(4)  A physical description and identity, if known, of the person who committed the assault, and whether the assailant was a patient, visitor, employee, or other category;

(5)  A description of the assaultive behavior as:

(i)  An assault with mild soreness, surface abrasions, scratches, or small bruises;

(ii)  An assault with major soreness, cuts, or large bruises;

(iii)  An assault with severe lacerations, a bone fracture, or a head injury; or

(iv)  An assault with loss of limb or death;

(6)  A description of the physical injury;

(7)  A description of any weapon used;

(8)  The number of employees and witnesses in the immediate area of the assault when it occurred; and

(9)  A description of actions taken by the employees and the hospital in response to the assault.

Terms Used In Rhode Island General Laws 23-17.28-6

  • Director: means the director of the Rhode Island department of health. See Rhode Island General Laws 23-17.28-2
  • Hospital: means any institutional health service provider, facility, or institution, place, building, agency, or portion thereof, whether a partnership or corporation, whether public or private, whether organized for profit or not, used, operated, or engaged in providing healthcare services. See Rhode Island General Laws 23-17.28-2
  • person: may be construed to extend to and include co-partnerships and bodies corporate and politic. See Rhode Island General Laws 43-3-6

(b)  A hospital shall maintain the records generated as a result of compliance with subsection (a) for no fewer than five (5) years following any reported incident.

(c)  Upon the request of an employee directly involved in a reported incident, the hospital shall generate and make available to the requesting employee a full report including the information in the record required under subsection (a).

(d)  Upon the request of an employee representative or of a workplace safety committee conducting a review, the hospital shall generate and make available to the requesting party a full report including:

(1)  The information in the record required under subsection (a) excluding the name of the reporting employee; and

(2)  Information regarding work-related injuries and illnesses recorded by the hospital to comply with applicable federal health and safety recordkeeping requirements.

(e)  The director shall adopt by rule a common recording form for the purposes of this section.

History of Section.
P.L. 2021, ch. 330, § 1, effective January 15, 2022; P.L. 2021, ch. 331, § 1, effective January 15, 2022.