/>iWorkplace violence continues to be a primary concern for employers and a challenge to maintaining workplace safety. Still, it is unclear whether there will be further movement on regulation at the federal level under the Trump administration.
States are expected to pick up the slack on this issue, and lawmakers in several states in 2025 are already mulling bills to address workplace safety or expand existing regulations, particularly in the healthcare industry.
Quick Hits
- Numerous states are introducing or expanding workplace violence prevention laws, particularly in healthcare settings, to enhance employee safety amid rising concerns.
- Specific legislative proposals, such as Alaska’s SB 49 and Massachusetts’s HD.1856, require employers to implement risk assessments, create violence prevention plans, and provide training to protect employees from workplace violence.
In recent years, workplace violence has garnered significant attention from lawmakers across the United States, particularly regarding healthcare settings, which are at a higher risk of violent incidents. California, Connecticut, Illinois, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Texas, and Washington all have laws or regulations that require healthcare employers to implement workplace violence prevention programs.
New workplace violence bills are popping up across the country that could create a host of new compliance obligations for employers, such as requiring employers to develop workplace violence prevention plans, conduct risk assessments, and track and report incidents of workplace violence.
Here is a breakdown of state workplace violence prevention bills being considered in statehouses across the United States this year.
Alaska
Senate Bill (SB) 49—Workplace violence protective orders.
SB 49 was prefiled in the Alaska Senate on January 17, 2025. The bill would enable employers in Alaska to file for workplace violence protective orders against individuals who have committed an act of violence against an employer or employee in a workplace or who made “a threat of violence against the employer or an employee that can reasonably be construed as a threat that may be carried out at the employer’s workplace.” The bill outlines the process for obtaining standard and ex parte protective orders, including the conditions under which they can be issued and the types of relief they can provide. It also would amend existing laws to include workplace violence protective orders and specify the responsibilities of district judges and magistrates in issuing these orders. The bill requires amendments to Alaska’s Rules of Civil Procedure and Rules of Administration It would take effect on January 1, 2026, if it receives the necessary two-thirds majority vote in each house.
Massachusetts
Bill HD.1856—Human service employers.
Massachusetts has several legislative proposals to address workplace safety. HD.1856 would mandate that human service employers in Massachusetts conduct annual risk assessments to identify factors that may put employees at risk of workplace violence and develop a program to minimize these dangers, including employee training and incident reporting systems. Employers would be required to create a written violence prevention plan, make it available to employees and labor organizations, and designate a senior manager to support an in-house crisis response team for employee victims of workplace violence. The bill would also authorize the commissioner of labor to adopt necessary rules and regulations and impose fines for noncompliance while protecting employees from retaliation for reporting workplace violence concerns.
Bill HD.3502 / Bill SD.1639—Healthcare facilities.
HD.3502 and SD.1639 would require healthcare employers in Massachusetts to conduct annual risk assessments to identify factors that may put employees at risk of workplace violence and develop a program to minimize these dangers, including employee training and incident reporting systems. Employers would be required to create a written violence prevention plan, make it available to employees and labor organizations, and designate a senior manager “responsible for the development and support of an in-house crisis response team for employee-victims of workplace violence.”
The bills would further require healthcare facilities to permit employees to take paid leave if they have been the victim of workplace violence and will use the leave to “obtain victim services or legal assistance.” Healthcare employers would also be required to report incidents of workplace violence annually. Additionally, the bills would direct the commissioner of public health to adopt rules and regulations within 180 days of enactment. The bill also includes provisions for improving data sharing and collaboration between healthcare facilities and public safety entities.
Bill HD.2124 / Bill SD.1307—Home healthcare workers.
Bill HD.2124 and SD.1307 would mandate that home healthcare employers in Massachusetts provide annual comprehensive workplace safety training and develop programs to minimize workplace violence risks for home healthcare workers. Employers would be required to conduct safety assessments of service settings, provide workers with communication devices and alarms, and allow workers to refuse service in dangerous situations without penalty. The bill would also require the designation of a senior manager to support an in-house crisis response team and mandate biannual reports on incidents of workplace violence. Additionally, the bill would entitle home healthcare workers to up to seven days of paid leave in a twelve-month period if they are victims of workplace violence and they use the leave to obtain victim services or legal assistance.
New York
Assembly Bill (A) 203—Hospital workplace violence prevention programs.
A203, introduced on January 8, 2025, would require all general hospitals in New York to establish violence prevention programs in accordance with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) conditions of participation and workplace violence standards of accrediting organizations. Hospitals in cities or counties with populations of 1 million or more would be required to always have at least one off-duty law enforcement officer or trained security personnel present in the emergency department. Hospitals in areas with populations less than 1 million would be required to have similar security personnel on premises with proximity to the emergency department a priority. The requirement would not apply to critical access hospitals, sole community hospitals, or rural emergency hospitals unless they experience increased rates of violence. The bill would take effect 280 days after becoming law.
J28—Memorializing Workplace Violence Prevention Month.
On January 14, 2025, the New York Senate adopted Senate Resolution No. 28, memorializing Governor Kathy Hochul’s proclamation, which designated April 2025 as Workplace Violence Prevention Month in the State of New York. April is already recognized as the National Workplace Violence Prevention Month on the federal level.
Senate Bill (S) 740 / Assembly Bill (A) 1678—Chapter Amendments to New York Retail Worker Safety Act.
On February 14, 2025, Governor Hochul signed Chapter Amendments (S740/A1678) into law amending the New York Retail Worker Safety Act, a comprehensive measure intended to increase worker safety and address workplace safety hazards in retail settings signed into law in September 2024. The recent amendments changed the requirement for “panic buttons” that would immediately alert law enforcement to a requirement for “silent response buttons” (SRBs) that alert internal staff (security officers, managers, or supervisors). Effective January 1, 2027, SRBs will be required for employers with 500 or more retail employees in New York, not nationwide. Also, employers with fewer than fifty retail employees now only need to provide workplace violence training to their retail employees upon hire, and then every other year rather than annually.
Ohio
House Bill (HB) 452—Hospital systems workplace violence policies.
On January 8, 2025, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine signed HB 452 into law, which is set to go into effect on April 9, 2025. The legislation will require hospitals and hospital systems to establish security plans to prevent workplace violence. The plans must be developed with input from a team that includes current or former patients and healthcare employees who provide direct patient care and be based on a security risk assessment that addresses high-risk areas such as emergency and psychiatric departments.
Hospitals will be required to ensure that security personnel receive training on de-escalation techniques and ensure that “at least one hospital employee trained in de-escalation practices [is] present at all times in the hospital’s emergency department and psychiatric department.” Additionally, hospitals will be required to establish a workplace violence incident reporting system and track such incidents. Hospitals will also be prohibited from discriminating or retaliating against employees who report incidents or participate in investigations.
Oregon
House Bill (HB) 2552—Healthcare entities workplace violence prevention.
HB 2552, introduced on January 13, 2025, would establish new workplace violence prevention requirements for healthcare entities in Oregon. The bill would mandate the development of safety committees, periodic safety assessments, and annual employee training. It would also require healthcare employers to compile and report data on workplace violence incidents to the Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services.
It would further mandate the Oregon Health Authority to create a grant program to fund workplace violence prevention efforts. Additionally, the bill includes provisions for posting signage, implementing flagging systems for potential threats, and enhancing safety measures for home healthcare staff. The bill would take effect ninety-one days after the 2025 legislative session permanently adjourns, with full implementation by January 1, 2026.
Senate Bill (SB) 537—Healthcare entities workplace violence prevention.
Similarly to HB 2552, SB 537 would establish new workplace violence prevention requirements for healthcare entities in Oregon and contain some similar requirements. However, SB 537 would require the development of safety committees, periodic safety assessments, and annual employee training. The bill would also require healthcare employers to compile and report data on workplace violence incidents to the Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services. The bill would also take effect ninety-one days after the 2025 legislative session, with full implementation by January 1, 2026.
Virginia
House Bill (HB) 1919—Workplace violence policies.
On March 7, 2025, the Virginia General Assembly passed HB 1919, and the bill is currently waiting for signature by Governor Glenn Youngkin. The bill would require that by January 1, 2027, Virginia employers with one hundred or more employees “develop, implement, and maintain” a workplace violence policy. The policy must include a “mechanism for employees to report workplace violence” and measures to protect workplace safety. The plan must also be “tailored and specific to conditions and hazards” at an employer’s workplace and include identifying individuals or teams responsible for implementing the policy. The bill would further make it unlawful for employers to discriminate or retaliate against employees who report workplace violence, threats, incidents, or concerns to the employer or the authorities.
House Bill (HB) 1620—Work group to evaluate workplace violence.
HB 1620, which was prefiled in the state House of Delegates on January 3, 2025, would direct the Virginia Department of Labor and Industry to “convene a work group for the purpose of evaluating the prevalence of workplace violence” in the state. The workgroup would “develop recommendations related to (a) maintaining healthy, safe, and secure work environments; (b) educating employers and employees and communicating to them techniques to effectively handle conflicts in the workplace; and (c) employee support services designed to address workplace violence. The bill is currently tabled in committee.
Washington
Substitute House Bill (HB) 1162—Healthcare employer workplace violence prevention plans.
HB 1162 was one of two workplace violence prevention bills introduced in Washington in January 2025 along with a companion legislation, Senate Bill (SB) 5162. The bill would require healthcare employers to develop and implement a workplace violence prevention plan with input from safety or workplace violence committees. The plans would address security considerations, staffing, job design, emergency procedures, reporting of violent acts, employee training, and support for affected employees. Healthcare settings would also be required to conduct timely investigations of workplace violence incidents, review contributing factors, and submit summaries of findings and recommendations to the relevant committee. The bill would mandate annual reviews and updates of the prevention plans and take effect on January 1, 2026.
SB 5162—Healthcare employer workplace violence plans.
While SB 5162 contains similar provisions, it differs in the specifics of committee involvement, reporting requirements, and incident investigation details. The bill would also take effect on January 1, 2026
Wyoming
House Bill No. HB0155—Hospital workplace violence reporting.
HB0155 would require “[e]very hospital, health care clinic and long-term care facility that receives any state funds” to report incidents of workplace violence against health care providers to the Wyoming Department of Workforce Services on a monthly basis starting August 1, 2025. Such reports would be required to include details about the perpetrators, contributing risk factors, types of incidents, victims by job type, and locations of the incidents. The Department of Workforce Services would be required to compile this information and report it to the Joint Labor, Health, and Social Services Interim Committee by October 1, 2026. The bill would further mandate the creation of a standardized reporting form and require rulemaking to implement its provisions, with an effective date of July 1, 2025, for most sections.
