In the wake of shootings in early March at hospitals in Atlanta and Milwaukee, the nation’s attention again turns to how to prevent workplace violence in health care settings.
Workplace violence is defined by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) as “any act or threat of physical violence, harassment, intimidation, or other threatening disruptive behavior that occurs at the work site.” Workplace violence can range from threats and verbal abuse to physical assaults, and it can affect employees, patients, and visitors.
In the absence of a federal standard, states have stepped up in recent years to address this growing problem. At least 20 states have enacted laws requiring hospitals and other health care employers to take specific steps including the creation of workplace violence prevention plans, site assessments, training, and reporting and/or recordkeeping requirements.[i] Several states have introduced additional legislation in 2026. We explore these recent legislative efforts below.
Kentucky
Kentucky continues to build on its past successes. In 2023, the Commonwealth passed HB 176, “an act relating to healthcare workplace safety,” requiring health facilities to develop and execute a workplace safety assessment and a related workplace safety plan to identify and address the risk of workplace violence against health care workers. Now codified in Ky. Rev. Stat. § 216.701 et seq., the law requires, among other things, annual training for all health care workers, volunteers, and contracted safety personnel; recordkeeping; and an internal reporting system—with annual audits of health facilities for compliance.
On February 24, 2026, state Representative Jason Nemes (R) introduced HB 713/BR 373, “[a]n Act relating to workplace violence against health care professionals.” The bills would fine tune Ky. Rev. Stat. § 216.701 et seq. with respect to obligations of the Cabinet for Health and Family Services regarding health facility compliance; would require health facilities to display a notice in a prominent location advising of possible consequences of threatening or aggressive behavior towards health care workers; would require health facilities to notify health care workers of any changes to policies, procedures, or the workplace safety plan; and would clarify other provisions.
Kentucky also has enhanced penalties for assaults against those in the health care profession. Ky. Rev. Stat. § 508.25, “Assault in the third degree,” applies to victims who are health care providers as well as those “employed by or under contract with a health clinic, doctor’s office, dental office, long-term care facility, hospital, or a hospital-owned or affiliate outpatient facility.”
Missouri
As of March 2026, Mo. Rev. Stat. § 565.050 makes assault in the first degree a class A felony if committed against “Special victims,” defined as emergency personnel, firefighters, emergency room, hospital, or trauma center personnel, or emergency medical technicians. Mo. Rev. Stat. § 574.203 makes the offense of interference with health care facility a Class D misdemeanor for the first offense and a Class C misdemeanor for any subsequent offense.
Missouri legislators have introduced several bills so far in 2026: HB 3401, introduced on February 24, 2026, by Brandon Phelps (R), would require hospitals to establish workplace violence prevention committees, or authorize existing committees, to develop a workplace violence prevention plan that shall:
- be based on the practice setting;
- encourage health care professionals and employees to provide confidential information on workplace violence to the committee;
- include a process to protect from retaliation health care professionals and employees who provide information to the committee;
- adopt a definition of workplace violence;
- require the facility to offer, at least annually, workplace violence prevention education or training;
- prescribe a system for responding to and investigating violent or potentially violent incidents;
- address physical safety and security;
- require the facility to solicit information from health care professionals and employees when developing and implementing a workplace violence prevention plan;
- allow health care professionals and employees to report incidents of workplace violence through the facility’s existing reporting systems; and
- require the facility to adjust patient care assignments to the extent practicable to prevent a health care professional or employee of the facility from treating or providing services to a patient who has intentionally physically abused or threatened the health care professional or employee.
Hospitals would be required to review workplace violence prevention plans annually. Following an incident of workplace violence, a facility would be required to offer immediate post-incident services to affected employees. The bill also contains anti-retaliation provisions and notice requirements. Similar bills include SB 1775, introduced by Sen. Kurtis Gregory (R) on February 26, 2026; and SB 1719, introduced by Sen. by Sen. Nick Schroer (R) on February 25, 2026.
Utah
Currently, Utah has provisions for employers who seek workplace violence protective orders, as well as a statute for assault/threat of violence against a health care provider, an emergency medical service worker, or a health facility employee, owner, or contractor (Utah Code Ann. § 76-5-102.7 (1953)). On January 27, 2026, Utah Senators Jennifer Plumb (D) and Katy Hall (R)—a physician and a registered nurse, respectively—introduced HB 380, a bill that would require hospitals to track and report incidents of workplace violence. As of early March, the legislation has passed both the House and the Senate. If enacted, a hospital would be required to, among other things:
- establish a workplace violence incident reporting system;
- record all reported incidents of workplace violence;
- adopt a policy prohibiting discrimination or retaliation against an employee for reporting or participating in an investigation;
- analyze collected data;
- maintain the record of reported workplace violence incidents for at least two years; and
- report data collected to the chief medical officer and the chief nursing officer on a quarterly basis.
If passed, the bill would take effect on May 6, 2026.
Virginia
In 2025, Virginia passed HB 2269/SB 1260, now codified at Va. Code Ann. § 32.1-127, requiring hospitals to establish a workplace violence incident reporting system. Current Virginia law also requires every hospital with an emergency department to establish a security plan based on a risk assessment, with training requirements. In 2026 thus far, Virginia introduced a flurry of new legislation intended to amend and reenact other provisions of Va. Code Ann. § 32.1-127, including SB 535, HB 1522, HB 1318, SB 738, and SB 291. As of early March, this legislation has passed both houses. HB 1489, which has also passed both houses, expands reporting requirements regarding threats or acts of violence against health care providers, including in hospital emergency departments.
Takeaways
While violence at a work site cannot always be prevented, the risks can be lessened through an appropriate strategy. Compliance with safety regulations and an affirmative, proactive approach are essential. Although legislators continue to introduce legislation at the federal level, those bills have not been as successful, and the call for a national OSHA standard continues to go unheeded. Increasingly, health care workplace violence initiatives have become the responsibility of the states. Health care employers should be proactively implementing strategies while keeping aware of new laws and regulations.
Epstein Becker Green Staff Attorney Ann W. Parks contributed to the preparation of this post.
Endnotes
[i] States requiring certain health care employers to adopt workplace violence prevention plans include Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Rhode Island, Texas, Vermont, and Washington State.
