The Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses supports H.R. 2663/ S. 1176—the Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act, which would establish an enforceable Workplace Violence Prevention Standard that would protect nurses and other healthcare providers from the potential dangers of combative patients and visitors.

Based on 2018 data, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics found that “the health care and social service industries experience the highest rates of injuries caused by workplace violence and are 5 times as likely to suffer a workplace violence injury than workers overall” and “Healthcare workers accounted for 73 percent of all nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses due to violence in 2018.”

The Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act would allow for a workplace free from serious, recognized hazards, a requirement by the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970. This standard would establish a legal pathway for employees to hold employers accountable for injury inflicted by patients, as well as an elucidated set of enforceable best practices to which to adhere. 

With the Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act, we can protect future victims of patient and visitor assaults and work towards preventing such tragedies from happening. It would be a step towards safer nursing environments. 

Call your US representative and senators now to ask them to cosponsor H.R. 2663/S. 1176—the Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act.