Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act

Key Points

• The Department of Labor would be required to create a new workplace safety standard within one year, forcing healthcare and social service employers to develop written plans to prevent violence against their workers. This covers hospitals, nursing homes, mental health clinics, substance abuse treatment centers, emergency services, and home health care.
• Employers must work directly with their staff to identify risks like poor lighting, isolated work areas, and dangerous patient behavior. They would need to put safety tools in place like silent alarms, security cameras, shatter-resistant glass, weapon detectors, and locks on doors.
• The bill requires in-person annual training so workers know how to handle violent situations, de-escalate conflict, and report threats. It also bans employers from punishing workers who report violent incidents to their boss, law enforcement, or government agencies.
• Employers must keep a detailed log of every violent incident for at least five years and submit annual summaries to the Department of Labor. The Secretary of Labor would then report these findings to Congress each year.
• Hospitals and skilled nursing facilities that get Medicare funding but are not already covered by OSHA would also have to follow these new rules. Facilities that fail to comply could face penalties tied to their Medicare participation agreements.