OSHA: Lowell treatment center put staff at risk – Lowell Sun

LOWELL -- The Lowell Treatment Center, a local psychiatric hospital, faces more than $200,000 in fines from the federal agency responsibility for overseeing workplace safety for allegedly exposing staff members to risks of violence.

Employees faced hazards of "death or serious physical harm" from patients despite the hospital previously agreeing to address safety concerns, the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration wrote in June. In a press release last week, OSHA announced that it would propose $207,690 in penalties for the center.

"Our inspectors found that employees throughout the Lowell Treatment Center continued to be exposed to incidents of workplace violence that could have been greatly reduced had the employer fully implemented the settlement agreement," Galen Blanton, OSHA's regional administrator in Boston, wrote in the release.

OSHA first warned of safety violations at the Varnum Avenue facility in May 2015 following an inspection, according to the press release. Investigators found that the hospital's roughly 130 employees faced risks of "verbal threats of assault, physical assaults, choking, punches, kicks, human bites, scratches and/or pulling of hair by patients."

The 41-bed center, operated by Universal Health Services of Westwood Pembroke, Inc., agreed in April 2016 to implement new measures to prevent workplace violence. However, Lowell Treatment Center failed to adhere to the terms of its agreement, OSHA wrote, prompting the agency to open a follow-up investigation in January.

Since Nov.

"Workplace violence assaults and injuries continued to occur," Area Director Anthony Covello wrote in a letter informing Lowell Treatment Center of the fines.

Lowell Treatment Center was issued $197,730 in fines as a result of OSHA's follow-up investigation. The company was also cited for one repeat violation and three "other-than-serious violations related to recordkeeping," which added another $9,960 to the total fines.

A representative for Arbour Health System, the Massachusetts branch of Universal Health Services that operates the Lowell Treatment Center, could not be reached for comment Sunday.

However, Judy Merel, a spokeswoman for Arbour Health, told the New England Center for Investigative Reporting in an email that OSHA's report was "inaccurate" and that the hospital is "committed to the safety and well-being of our patients, their families and our staff."

Arbour Health has been flagged by state and federal regulators in the past, too.

In November 2016, a state Department of Mental Health inspection revealed low staffing levels at the Lowell Treatment Center. State officials ordered the center at that time to stop admitting new patients temporarily.

Earlier that year, the Boston Globe reported that the U.S. Department of Justice was investigating several Arbour hospitals, including five in Massachusetts, for possible billing fraud.

Follow Chris on Twitter @ChrisLisinski.

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OSHA: Lowell treatment center put staff at risk - Lowell Sun