Workplace violence in healthcare is not a new issue, but it is an escalating one. In response, Utah has taken a significant step with the passage and enactment of House Bill (H.B.) 380, a law aimed at better understanding and ultimately reducing violence against healthcare workers.

Quick Hits

• Utah has enacted H.B. 380 to address and reduce workplace violence in healthcare, requiring hospitals to implement comprehensive reporting systems for such incidents.
• The law, which takes effect on May 6, 2026, mandates detailed tracking of workplace violence incidents, protection for employees reporting these incidents, and annual reporting of data to the state health department.
• The collected data is intended to drive improvements in prevention strategies, such as de-escalation training and risk identification.

Overview

On March 18, 2026, Utah Governor Spencer Cox signed H.B. 380 into law. The new law takes effect on May 6, 2026, and hospitals across the state will be required to implement comprehensive workplace violence reporting systems by November 1, 2026, including by taking the following steps:

• Establishing formal reporting systems for workplace violence incidents
• Tracking detailed information, including date, time, type of incident, and whether the perpetrator was a patient, visitor, or employee
• Adopting policies prohibiting discrimination or retaliation against employees who report incidents of workplace violence or who participate in investigations
• Maintaining records of reported workplace violence incidents for at least two years
• Analyzing and using collected data to improve safety and prevention strategies
• Reporting workplace violence incident data annually to the state health department

The law also requires internal reporting to the hospital’s chief medical officer and chief nursing officer and emphasizes that collected data should drive improvements, such as de-escalation training and risk identification.

Utah is not an outlier. States across the country are expanding workplace violence prevention requirements in healthcare and general industry, signaling an increased regulatory focus on this issue.

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