Workers are at a higher risk of potential violence in healthcare when compared with other industries, and that risk has drastically increased in the past several years. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics cites a rise in violence against healthcare workers by 63% from 2011 to 2018.
The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated hospital safety concerns. A surge in patient volume, nursing shortages, lack of supplies, increased duties, and potential burnout are all factors essential healthcare workers have faced since the start of the pandemic. According to an Environmental Science and Pollution Research study, factors such as isolation and quarantine of COVID patients coupled with poor outcomes have led to this increase in violence in healthcare during this time, including physical and psychological abuse of healthcare workers.
This places health workers at undue risk and underscores the need for federal and state legislation to protect staff in hospitals and other healthcare settings, improving safety and lowering incidences of violence against nurses and care providers.
The Push for Federal Legislation to Protect Health Workers
Federal legislation could potentially play a critical role in protecting health workers and reducing the threat of violence such as assaults or intimidation in healthcare settings, though no such legislation has yet been enacted.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics found that healthcare workers are at a five times greater risk of workplace violence when compared to other types of employment, highlighting this gap in federal protections and the urgency to enact them.
Examples of this type of legislation can be seen in other industries, such as existing laws used to combat the rise of violence on commercial airlines during the pandemic in the aviation industry. Since the Department of Justice has prioritized prosecuting instances of violence against airline staff, the result is a safer environment for both crew members and passengers.
H.R. 2663: Preventing Violence against Healthcare and Social Services Workers
The Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act (H.R. 2663) was also introduced in 2023 but has not yet been enacted into law, with the goal of ramping up protections for workers in healthcare and social services positions.
The bill aims to improve hospital safety and protections for these workers by implementing certain federal standards. These include:
A mandated federal standard for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to enforce regarding the development and implementation of workplace violence prevention plans for health care and social service employers
Requiring that solutions and training programs be developed to mitigate risks, as well as mandating reporting and incident investigations, and when reporting workplace violence, protecting health and social services workers from retaliation
Broadening protections for workers in states not currently covered by OSHA protections
The bill was initially introduced jointly by Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Representative Joe Courtney (D-CT), due to concern for the overwhelming level of violence faced by healthcare workers compared to other industries—accounting for 76% of all nonfatal workplace violence incidents in 2020 alone.
“Our health care and social service workers deserve to work in a safe environment free from violence," said Senator Baldwin. “It is unacceptable that our healthcare workers are subjected to senseless acts of violence in their workplace, and we must do more to protect them. I am proud to introduce this legislation to give our nurses, doctors, health care support staff, and social service professionals with long-overdue basic protections, helping address our health care workforce shortage and keep our frontline heroes safe.”
Improving Hospital Safety with the SAVE Act
Federal legislation specifically targeting violence and healthcare is the Safety from Violence for Healthcare Employees (SAVE) Act (H.R. 2584/S. 2768), a bill supported by the American Hospital Association (AHA).
The bill was introduced in 2023 but hasn’t yet passed. It would provide protections to healthcare workers and improve hospital safety by making it a federal crime to assault a hospital worker while they are performing their duties.
Those who assault hospital workers could face fines and imprisonment under the SAVE Act if implemented. An exception would be if the assault were due to an individual suffering mental illness or behavioral health conditions.
Hospital Safety Legislation by State
Although there isn’t yet a federal legal standard for hospital safety and prevention of violence in health care, many states have enacted their own laws, which vary in how comprehensive they are and what they mandate.
Several states have enacted workplace violence prevention laws specifically for healthcare workers, including:
Arizona
California
Colorado
Connecticut
Illinois
Kentucky
Louisiana
Minnesota
Missouri
Montana
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Jersey
Oregon
Rhode Island
Texas
Washington
The legislation in these states is aimed at creating a culture of safety in healthcare workplaces.
Protecting Texas Healthcare Workers with Senate Bill 240
Under Texas SB 240, a workplace safety bill passed in 2023, healthcare facilities in the state must implement a comprehensive workplace violence prevention plan in order to better protect their staff from potential violent incidents or threats of violence. Facilities that must adapt these plans by September of this year include licensed hospitals, state-run hospitals exempt from licensing, licensed nursing facilities employing more than two or more RNs, licensed psychiatric hospitals, and several others.
SB 240 marks one of the earliest violence prevention in health care bills both in Texas and nationally, and compels healthcare facilities to be proactive in safety planning and reporting incidents of violence.
In addition to adopting, implementing, and enforcing a written workforce violence prevention plan, the bill requires facilities to:
Propose a structure for response and investigation of violent incidents or the threat of violent incidents.
Enforce reporting of violent incidents in the workplace through the facility’s reporting system.
Educate and train staff on workplace violence prevention annually.
When possible, avoid providing services to patients who have been abusive toward staff.
In crisis situations where healthcare workers face potential violence or other threats, CENTEGIX offers an array of innovative safety technology solutions, such as the CENTEGIX CrisisAlert incident response system, to help health facilities protect staff, patients, and guests and stay compliant with state safety regulations.
How Healthcare Facilities Stay Compliant with CENTEGIX
CENTEGIX's innovative safety technology solutions help healthcare facilities achieve and maintain compliance with state safety legislation, such as Texas SB 240. CENTEGIX offers a host of tools to enhance hospital safety via the CENTEGIX Safety Platform ™.
The platform is designed to help health facilities achieve a rapid and precise response to a crisis or threat, utilizing precise location capabilities.
The CENTEGIX advantage:
CENTEGIX Safety Platform offers comprehensive security with total campus coverage. With CENTEGIX you can secure your entire facility, with complete, multi-layer digital mapping, precise locating abilities activated during an incident, and total coverage using a private Bluetooth network even without a Wi-Fi connection or cell coverage. Plus CENTEGIX is fully compliant with OSHA, CMS, and JC.
CENTEGIX CrisisAlert wearable duress button lets staff signal for help discreetly. When staff need help, CrisisAlert provides responders with a precise location at the press of a button, with coverage across your entire facility.
CENTEGIX Visitor Management allows you to screen every visitor who enters your campus through multiple updated databases, every time. With the CENTEGIX Enhanced Visitor management feature, schools can access live digital maps to view the real-time location of all visitors on your campus. Visitor details are also recorded for future assessments.
CENTEGIX Safety Blueprint offers a customizable digital mapping system for hospitals and other healthcare facilities. It provides multi-layered mapping of all assets, complete floor plans, and incident locations in a dynamic, real-time environment.
As workplace violence remains a pressing concern for hospitals and healthcare workers across the country, legal requirements designed to help facilities keep their workers safe will continue to evolve. Staying compliant means having the best safety solutions at your fingertips. CENTEGIX is currently used in over 12,000 facilities across the country.
Partnering with CENTIGIX can help your facility achieve safety success.
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