A federal investigation found that a children's hospital in Columbus, Ohio, failed to protect employees from workplace violence. According to the investigation, the hospital failed to protect employees from patients whose bites, kicks, punches and other assaults caused serious injuries.

Responding to a complaint of unsafe working conditions, investigators with the department's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) opened an investigation in November 2022 at the Big Lots Behavioral Health Pavilion at Nationwide Children's Hospital. OSHA determined the facility did not protect its employees from violent incidents involving the hospital's patients in which nurses and mental health staff suffered concussions, lacerations, contusions and sprains. The agency also learned the facility failed to keep proper records of employee injuries as required.

OSHA issued citations to the facility for one serious violation and one other-than-serious violation and proposed $18,000 in penalties. The Big Lots Behavioral Health Pavilion at Nationwide Children's Hospital is the second largest pediatric hospital in the U.S. Nationwide Children's Hospital accepts more than 1.5 million patient visits each year at 68 facilities across Ohio and around the world. It employs about 12,000 hospitals and 1,000 medical staff.