Healthcare employees are nearly five
times more likely than workers in other fields to be victims of
workplace violence, according to federal government statistics.
Because of this disparity, the Occupational Safety and Health
Administration (OSHA) issued guidelines in 2015 for preventing
workplace violence in the healthcare and social services
industries. Since that time, the agency has heightened its focus on
this area and has issued an increased number of employer citations
relating to incidents involving workplace violence.
Interestingly enough, despite OSHA's emphasis on workplace
violence prevention, there is currently no specific OSHA standard
addressing such hazards. As a result, the agency enforces employer
obligations to prevent workplace violence through the "general
duty clause." This statutory section requires employers to
keep their workplaces "free from recognized hazards that are
causing or are likely to cause death or serious physical harm
