A federal administrative law judge has determined that UHS of Delaware Inc. and UHS of Fuller Inc. exposed their employees at Fuller Hospital in Attleboro to workplace violence without adequate protections in 2019, particularly at times when hospital staffing was low. Fuller Hospital is a 102-bed behavioral health facility that provides acute inpatient hospitalization for adolescents and adults. UHS of Delaware Inc. manages healthcare operations at facilities owned by its parent, Universal Health Services, which is one of the nation’s largest behavioral healthcare service providers and owns at least 330 behavioral health facilities nationwide. The ruling follows an inspection by the US Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration, prompted by employee complaints, which found the hospital’s lack of safeguards subjected staff to workplace violence. Incidents included Fuller workers being kicked, punched, slapped, bitten, and having their hair ripped out. Certain staff members also suffered repeated concussions. Over 500 incidents of aggression occurred at Fuller Hospital during a seven-month period.
