Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act
Key claim: The bill requires the Department of Labor to issue an OSHA standard mandating workplace violence prevention plans, incident investigation, and employee training for health care and social service employers, and conditions Medicare participation for hospitals and skilled nursing facilities on compliance.
Abstract
(HR2531 · 119th Congress) Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act This bill requires the Department of Labor to address workplace violence in health care, social service, and similar sectors. Specifically, Labor must issue an occupational safety and health standard that requires certain employers to take actions to protect workers and other personnel from workplace violence. The standard applies to employers in the health care sector, in the social service sector, and in sectors that conduct activities similar to those in the health care and social service sectors. Among other elements, the standard must require each employer to (1) develop a workplace violence prevention plan, (2) promptly investigate incidents of workplace violence, and (3) provide relevant training and education to employees. The bill requires certain hospitals and skilled nursing facilities to comply with this standard as a condition of Medicare participation. Latest action (2025-04-01): Referred to the Committee on Education and Workforce, and in addition to the Committees on Energy and Commerce, and Ways and Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Why this matters
Health care and social service workers experience workplace-violence injury rates several times the private-sector average, but there is currently no federal OSHA standard specifically addressing the hazard. This bill would convert existing OSHA guidance into an enforceable standard with written prevention plans, incident investigation, and training requirements, and — unusually — leverage CMS Medicare participation as a second enforcement channel for hospitals and skilled nursing facilities.