Health care providers — especially front-line staff within hospital emergency departments — increasingly are faced with violent encounters by patients and visitors.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics found that 52% of all workplace violence incidents recorded are in health care. MHA has developed resources to assist member hospitals with mitigating workplace violence through advocacy, reducing regulatory burden, strengthening partnerships and implementing evidence-based strategies through policy development and staff skill building.

Workplace Violence in Health Care Settings Definition

MHA facilitated the review and adoption of a definition of workplace violence with the intent of providing clarity and scope, and establishing parameters for future data collection.

Purpose

To provide scope and direction to statewide program development and data collection initiatives.

Definition

“An act or threat occurring at the workplace that can include any of the following: verbal, written or physical aggression; threatening, intimidating, harassing or humiliating words or actions; bullying; sabotage; harassment; physical assaults or other behaviors of concern involving staff, licensed practitioners, patients, visitors or others on-site or off-site when related to the health care facility.” — International Association for Healthcare Security and Safety

IAHSS Resources

• 2022 Glossary
• 2022 Framework
• 2022 Categorization

Priorities

MHA has prioritized the following actions to assist Missouri hospitals with reducing the incidence of workplace violence.

Resources

Workplace Violence Prevention Toolkit

With expressed permission, MHA adopted the Oregon Association of Hospitals and Health Systems’ Workplace Violence Prevention Toolkit as our framework to guide improvement efforts.

ACCESS THE TOOLKIT

ASHRM Healthcare Facility Workplace Violence Risk Assessment Tool

The American Society for Healthcare Risk Management has developed a toolkit with resources, policies, checklists and training aids that helps health care organizations work with their staff to identify, mitigate and respond to workplace violence.

Learn more

OSHA Guidelines for Preventing Workplace Violence

Healthcare and social service workers face significant risks of job-related violence and it is OSHA’s mission to help employers address these serious hazards. These guidelines reflect the variations that exist in different settings and incorporate the latest and most effective ways to reduce the risk of violence in the workplace.

VIEW THE GUIDELINES

TJC Workplace Violence Prevention Resources

The TJC Workplace Violence Prevention Resources for Health Care Portal provides a valuable source of information from TJC and other organizations related to the topic of workplace violence in health care.

access the portal

CDC Workplace Violence Prevention Course

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health offers a free, interactive course designed to help health care workers better understand the scope and nature of violence in the workplace.

Learn more