Healthcare Workplace Violence Resources

American Hospital Association (AHA)

• Guiding Principles of Mitigating Violence in the Workplace (from AHA’s American Organization for Nursing Leadership affiliate and the Emergency Nurses Association, updated October 26, 2022)
  A toolkit to help hospitals and health systems customize their workplace violence protection program to best protect their employees and patients.

• Hospitals against Violence News
  Multiple articles available for reference.

CDC – The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)

• Workplace Violence Prevention for Nurses – (2.4 ANCC contact hours for on-demand course)
  This free, interactive course is designed to help healthcare workers better understand the scope and nature of violence in the workplace.

• Violence: Occupational Hazards in Hospitals
  The purpose of this brochure is to increase worker and employer awareness of the risk factors for violence in hospitals and to provide strategies for reducing exposure to these factors.

International Association for Healthcare Security & Safety (IAHSS)

• IAHSS research (available to the public)

• Journal for Healthcare Protection Management (1-2 articles per issue available to the public. The rest are available to members-only).

• IAHSS Webinars and Events (workplace violence webinars and resources)

The Joint Commission

• Workplace Violence Prevention Resources for Health Care

• Sentinel Event Alert 59: Physical and verbal violence against health care workers

• Workplace Violence Prevention: Screening for the Early Detection of Risk of Harm to Self or Others. Perspectives, Volume 13, Number 10, October 2017, pp. 11
  Discusses using screening procedures for the purpose of early detection of risk of harm to self or others.

• Code Black and Blue: Why patients turn violent and how to recognize it before it happens.
  Environment of Care News, Volume 18, Number 1, January 2015, pp. 1,3,4(3)
  Violent behavior toward nurses, physicians, and hospital staff is an occupational hazard that every health care organization will encounter. Staff, particularly frontline staff, need to be aware of the risk and know how to deal with it. This includes preventing incidents, knowing what to do when a patient becomes violent, and following procedures for reporting an incident. This article discusses strategies for preventing and addressing violence in health care organizations.

Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA)

• Workplace Violence Overview

• Guidelines for Preventing Workplace Violence for Healthcare and Social Service Workers

• How Safe Is Your Hospital for Workers? This publication provides a suite of resources to help hospitals assess workplace safety needs, implement safety and health management systems, and enhance safe patient handling programs.

State of Hawaii Crime Prevention and Justice Assistance Division

• Workplace Violence Manual (October 2001)

U.S. Department of Labor

• DOL Directive Number CPL 02-01-058, Enforcement Procedures and Scheduling for Occupational Exposure to Workplace Violence