Prevention of violence at work in 2025

California SB553, the first complete and multi-industry law on prevention of violence at work, has been in force for almost a year. Many other states are undergoing prosecution with their own laws or regulations on the prevention of violence at work, including the law on the safety of retail workers in New York, to take effect this year. California’s work violence regulations for health establishments entered into force in 2017, and many other states have since promulgated regulations to protect health workers against violence at work.

Currently, there is no federal safety and occupational health (OSHA) regulation concerning violence at work in health care, although there is a patchwork of states’ laws and regulations.

For national health care employers, monitoring new state and federal legislation is at least part -time job for risk managers, security professionals and HR managers. From what we continue to see today, there is no reason to expect the trend of new legislation or security regulations linked to violence to work slows down. Thus, health leaders may need to really consider themselves to focus on traceable and verifiable prevention plans and effective training sessions to stay ahead of legal trends.

Develop a complete prevention plan

Depending on the requirements of the individual state or local regulations, most health employers consider their first assignment in the fight against prevention of violence at work as well as risk assessment. The involvement of employees in the risk assessment process is essential for stakeholders who work to create a plan, as this generally provides the essential data and contributions necessary to identify problems and work towards solutions.

When you work to create an initial plan to solve these problems, employers can start by creating clear definitions of what constitutes violence at work. Then describe the policies that must be implemented to mitigate the risk of these scenarios.

While the team works together to refine and improve these policies, it is important to establish a single person or a responsible group of the planned policies. It is a good idea that this person or this group is responsible for communicating and applying these policies within the largest organization, with zero tolerance for any offense. Examination of all policies and procedures may have to be carried out regularly – ideally on a calendar – to ensure continuous improvement.

Effective and compliant plans include reporting and response protocols so that there are well -defined and well understood procedures to report incidents in work violence. Employers can use various reporting methods, including 1 to 800 hot lines, designated employees, emails or text methods, as well as verbal and written methods.

Employers can also consider developing response protocols to effectively treat incidents and support the employees concerned. Response protocols are personalized and can vary depending on the size and location of an installation, the type of customers or patients, as well as the type of services provided. They also generally include a procedure to investigate in a confidential manner of threats of work violence and incidents. Depending on the culture and structure of the supplier, response and survey tasks can reside in risk management, human resources, security or operations services. There is no unique approach for the response and investigations.

Ideally, each prevention plan for work violence is suitable for the work sites of a particular establishment, workplaces and a working environment. A plan that is effective for a small rural clinic is not necessarily suitable for a large hospital with campuses through an urban block. Engineering and administrative checks to combat violence at work will vary and may have to be adapted to treat the risks and dangers clearly identified during the initial assessment.

Engineering orders to improve safety measures may include improving lighting, cameras and security systems and identification badges to ensure that only privileged individuals can access certain installations.

From what is included in recent New York laws and guidelines in California, and other states, additional administrative controls can also include panic, personal alarms, open communication channels (manual radios) and planning changes to mitigate the risks of problematic actors. In some specific cases, these may even be necessary.

Facilitate effective training sessions

Training is an essential element of any program to prevention of violence at work, and it is preferable to organize sessions on a continuous basis at regular intervals. The plans to prevent and fight against work violence can only be effective if they are implemented solidly implemented. In addition, it helps to follow how employees receive and participate in the training. Although the training requirements vary according to the laws and regulations of the States, there are certain common points.

First of all, plan to train employees on all aspects of the employer’s prevention prevention plan, including definitions, threats and violence, surveys and controls that deal with or seek to minimize the risk of violence at work.

According to the workplace and labor, effective training can also include advice on how to recognize signs of warning potential violence, such as behavioral changes, verbal threats, climbing and signs of distress. Based on what the health care industry sees today, some employers note that de -escalation training, including communication techniques and conflict resolution, is a fundamental part of effective training because it gives employees’ confidence in the fight against angry patients or angry visitors.

Final reflections

Prevention of violence at work is a continuous and organic process. Federal and state regulations are changing frequently, so that employers can regularly consider examining and updating their prevention plans and training programs on a scheduled schedule. The realization of regular or annual audits, the solicitation of the feedback of employees and respect for best practices and emerging trends in the prevention of violence at work will be essential for continuous improvement in 2025 and beyond.

Photo: Okanmetin, Getty Images

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