Doctors Council SEIU Statement on OSHA’s Ruling on Workplace Violence Safeguards at Rikers Island

For Immediate Release
August 11, 2014

Doctors Council SEIU is encouraged by the recent ruling of the U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), especially in light of the injuries sustained by the medical staff working at Rikers Island. Their safety is paramount and for too long, dangerous working conditions went unaddressed which prompted this action. We hope this ruling is a step towards improving safety standards and protocols for the dedicated health professionals working at Rikers Island.

We also commend the de Blasio administration for making the matter of safety at Rikers Island a priority. Doctors Council SEIU will continue to work hard to bring all of the necessary parties to the table to collaborate on improving safety for all staff and inmates on Rikers.

It is only through this collaboration that we will be able to achieve our common goals.

 

About Doctors Council SEIU

Doctors Council SEIU, a professional organization for doctors, is the nation’s oldest and largest union of attending physicians and dentists in the United States, with members in New York City, and in states across the country. Formed in 1973, Doctors Council SEIU is a union for doctors and a voice for patients, and represents attending physicians and dentists at Health and Hospitals Corporation (HHC) facilities and hospitals, including doctors employed by the affiliates New York University School of Medicine, the Mount Sinai School of Medicine and the Physician Affiliate Group of New York (PAGNY). HHC is the largest public hospital system in the nation. Doctors Council SEIU also represents doctors in the New York City Mayoral agencies including the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) as well as doctors working at Rikers Island, the largest correctional facility in the nation. Affiliated with SEIU, Doctors Council SEIU is a national union representing doctors employed in the public and private sectors.