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Patient Advocacy

Workplace Violence Prevention

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WORKPLACE VIOLENCE IS NOT PART OF THE JOB

“At my hospital, nothing happens until something happens. When violent incidents occur – and they do often, including in Labor & Delivery, where I work – the hospital may say the right words in the moment, but after the moment passes, they invariably sweep the incident and the opportunity to learn from it under the rug until the next thing happens. They are not proactive, and every day we bear the brunt of that failure.”

– LABOR & DELIVERY NURSE, TEMPLE UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL, PHILADELPHIA

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, healthcare workers accounted for 73% of all nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses due to violence in 2018 (the latest year with available data) and were five times more likely to be punched, kicked, bitten, beaten, choked, and assaulted on the job than all other workers. Some have even faced stabbings and shootings.

Surveys show that workplace violence in healthcare has only worsened since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, fueling an exodus of healthcare workers nationwide.

The November 2023 National Institutes of Health Aggressive Incident and Management study confirms it: hospital staff face an average of 1.17 aggressive events—verbal and/or physical—for every 40 hours worked. These incidents were more common when staff had significantly higher patient loads. "Waiting for care" was among the most frequent triggers of aggression.

Low staffing drives up stress for both patients and staff. When a healthcare worker isn't available to meet an agitated patient's needs, situations can escalate quickly into verbal abuse or physical violence. This is not acceptable. Workplace violence is not "just part of the job."

EMPLOYERS ARE A BIG PART OF THE PROBLEM

National Nurses United surveyed more than 83,000 nurses and healthcare workers nationwide in 2020–2021. Their findings, published in Workplace Violence and COVID-19 in Health Care: How the Hospital Industry Created an Occupational Syndemic (Nov. 2021), are alarming:

42% reported that their employer ignores workplace violence reports.

39% said their employer investigates incidents.

59% said their employer fails to change practices after an incident.

25% said their employer blames or reprimands employees for reporting.

“A patient threatened to beat me up and kill me. When I reported it, I was asked what I did to agitate the patient.”

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WHAT PENNSYLVANIA NURSES SAY

In 2024, PASNAP surveyed more than 9,000 nurses and healthcare professionals across Pennsylvania:

  • 66% said they have personally experienced violence at work (up from 50% in 2021).
  • 72% said their hospital or facility does not do a good job of protecting them.

Incidents happen daily in Pennsylvania. Some make the news—nurses held at scalpel-point in Hershey, a sexual assault of an RN in Pittsburgh, a nurse stabbed in the neck in the Lehigh Valley—but many do not. Some are never even reported.

___Retain Us Respect Us

THE HEALTHCARE WORKPLACE VIOLENCE PREVENTION ACT (HOUSE BILL 926)

It is already a felony to assault a healthcare worker in Pennsylvania. But prosecution after the fact is not enough. We need to prevent violence before it happens—and ensure that nurses and frontline caregivers have a strong voice in safety and security at their facilities.

HB 926 would require hospitals to:

  • Establish workplace violence prevention committees, protocols, and reporting systems.
  • Perform annual risk assessments.
  • Report all incidents of workplace violence.
  • Maintain incident reports and documentation for at least three years.
  • Protect employees from retaliation for reporting violence.
  • Give healthcare workers a formal role in shaping workplace safety policies.

On May 6, 2025, during Nurses Week, HB 926 passed the Pennsylvania House with bipartisan support (124-79). The bill now moves to the Senate, where swift action is needed to protect healthcare workers across the Commonwealth.

The bill passed the House because of the advocacy and efforts of Nurses and Healthcare Professionals showing up and having their voices heard.

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We use our collective strength to advocate for things like safe staffing, universal access to healthcare, and prevention of harassment and violence against healthcare workers. Our advocacy was instrumental in passing Act 102, Pennsylvania's ban on mandatory overtime for healthcare workers.

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