Workplace Violence

This document explains that while many states have established penalties for assaulting healthcare workers, some only apply to certain settings or types of healthcare workers. At the time the document was published, only a small subset of states across the U.S. had enacted legislation requiring employers to develop formal programs to prevent and/or report workplace violence in healthcare facilities. Most of those states require the program to be based on a risk assessment, and for staff to receive training on the workplace violence prevention plan/program. State requirements vary widely, and the laws do not include the same level of specificity and detail against which compliance may be assessed.