Preventing Workplace Violence in Healthcare: 2025 Legislative and Safety Strategies

Workplace shootings and violent attacks continue to run rampant. Unfortunately, healthcare facilities are not immune to these senseless incidents. Your employees are in harm's way every day while on the job. You can ensure their well-being with comprehensive safeguards. Proactive prevention through security assessments and implementing no-tolerance policies is the first step to a safer workplace.

The rise of workplace violence in healthcare

Workplace violence is escalating, and healthcare workers are increasingly at risk. Notable recent incidents include:

• On June 1, 2022, a 45-year-old man opened fire in a Tulsa, Oklahoma, physician’s office. He killed two doctors, a receptionist, and a visitor.
• On October 22, 2022, an armed man killed a maternity ward nurse and social worker in the Methodist Dallas Medical Center.
• In May 2023, a man opened fire inside Northside Hospital in Atlanta, killing one person and critically wounding three others.
• One month later—in June 2023 at Heywood Hospital in Gardner, Massachusetts, a 76-year-old man grabbed a nurse by the arm and stabbed her in the neck.
• More recently, on February 18, 2025, a man under psychiatric hold at HCA Palms West Hospital in Florida brutally attacked a nurse, breaking nearly every bone in her face, causing injuries that may result in the loss of vision in both eyes.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported homicides of 156 private healthcare workers in the workplace between 2011 and 2018. Over the two-year period from 2021-2022, healthcare and social assistance experienced the highest counts and annualized incidence rates for workplace violence in any private industry sector. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that between 8% and 38% of healthcare workers will suffer physical violence in their careers.

New legislation aims to curb healthcare violence

To address growing violence in healthcare facilities, legislators are working to pass healthcare workplace violence prevention bills. In 2021, U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Representative Joe Courtney (D-CT) introduced the Workplace Violence Prevention for Healthcare and Social Service Workers Act (H.R. 1195).

The legislation passed the House and is currently under review by the Senate. If passed, Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) will require healthcare and social service employers to take violence prevention steps. Specifically, organizations will have to “write and implement a workplace violence prevention plan to prevent and protect their employees from violent incidents.”

This law would apply to:

• Hospitals
• Hospital-owned facilities
• Residential treatment facilities, such as nursing homes and long-term care facilities
• Medical clinics within correctional or detention facilities
• Community care facilities
• Psychiatric treatment centers
• Substance use treatment centers
• Independent free-standing emergency centers

The legislation’s definition of covered employers includes contractors, subcontractors, temporary service firms, and employee leasing agencies. It would not apply to private healthcare practices such as doctors and dentists.

Additional federal and state bills in progress

Also under federal review is the Safety from Violence for Healthcare Employees Act (SAVE Act) (H.R. 7961). The SAVE Act provides grants and enhances penalties for healthcare workplace violence. Like H.R. 1195, it’s making slow progress through Congress. While healthcare workers wait for federal regulations, groups are working at a state level to pass legislation. In Texas, Senate Bill 240 was passed in May 2023, which aims to protect healthcare personnel from attacks. This legislation requires healthcare facilities in Texas to establish a committee to assess policies and create strategies to prevent workplace violence.

What healthcare organizations can do to prevent attacks

While federal legislation is slowly in the works, you can take proactive measures against workplace violence. Here are some of the things worth considering when crafting a violence prevention plan:

• Create a safety advisory committee: Especially necessary in mid-size and large healthcare organizations, safety advisory committees ensure an optimal safety strategy. These committees work with administration, staff, consultants, and emergency responders to ensure appropriate safety measures are in place.
• Assess or enact a Crisis Response Plan (CRP): Look at your current CRP or create one that’s appropriate for active shooter incidents. Set protocols for contacting emergency services, helping occupants evacuate or seek cover, and prioritizing safety. Regularly educate and train all staff on situational awareness and how to respond to an active shooter event.
• Never tolerate violence or threats: Workplace safety relies on a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to violence and threats. The workplace cannot tolerate abusive language, aggressive behavior, or spoken or implied threats.
• Assess physical security: Many healthcare facilities are easily accessible. Consider the ease with which an armed person could enter your facility and any other weaknesses the property may have. Use reinforced doors or glass, install metal detectors, and employ security personnel to potentially save lives.
• Implement employee separation protocols: Workplace violence doesn’t only result from outside threats. It also results from animosity between employees. Create and enforce protocols to separate employees if they become aggressive or argumentative.
• Account for unpredictable threats: There is no one type of person who might be capable of violence. Encourage your employees to trust their gut. If they see or hear something suspicious or disturbing, they should never hesitate to speak up. Documenting events as they occur makes it easier to recognize behavior patterns.
• Offer an Employee Assistance Program (EAP): Experiencing an active shooter event is horrific and traumatizing. And as those in the medical profession are aware, unprocessed trauma doesn’t simply go away. EAPs provide employees with resources like helplines, mental health assessments, counseling, outside specialists referrals, and follow-up services.

Preparing for the worst — before it happens

Many healthcare employers could never imagine a shooting occurring in their facility. But as these senselessly violent attacks become routine, it falls on employers to ensure safeguards are in place. Whether or not you’re obligated by legislation, taking steps to prevent and adequately respond to active shooter incidents is critical.

If you’re curious about where to begin, speak with your trusted insurance advisor. They can ensure that you have adequate general and professional liability coverage in the event of a workplace incident, such as an assault on an employee or a shooting. They can also help you implement an effective EAP to address the fallout of an attack.

We all hope that a nightmare like this never occurs at our place of business, but the human cost is simply too great not to prepare.