A group of House Democrats introduced a bill to help protect millions of nurses and other health care workers from the high rates of violence they experience on the job. The new bill, called the “Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act”, would require hospitals, nursing homes, rehab centers, mental health providers, and jails to develop a workplace safety plan to protect their workers from violence they experience at the hands of patients, which is surprisingly a common phenomenon. The bill would also require employers to record and investigate all complaints of violence, and prohibits retaliation against employees who call 911. The bill, which is sponsored by Rep. Joe Courtney (D-CT), would essentially turn into law current guidelines from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration at the Department of Labor. A hospital’s violence prevention plan could involve hiring more security guards, installing surveillance cameras, and training staff in how to respond to violent incidents.

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