Providers, nurses, and health professionals can and should take advantage of our state’s workplace violence prevention law to encourage employers to implement prevention measures through a joint labor-management committee. They are required to:
- Convene a new or existing workplace safety committee to address workplace violence;
- Conduct an annual assessment for workplace violence risk factors;
- Develop a workplace violence prevention and response plan in collaboration with the committee;
- Maintain records of workplace violence incidents and report them to the Connecticut Department of Public Health annually;
- Report assaults and related offenses to the police within 24 hours, excluding acts committed by a person with a disability; and
- Adjust patient care assignments or provide additional staff support for a healthcare worker who has been intentionally abused or threatened by a patient (excluding patient behavior that is a manifestation of their condition or disability).
Resources to help hold employers accountable under the law include:
- A summary of the law as amended in 2024;
- A sample information request letter for workplace violence records;
- A sample complaint letter to the Connecticut Department of Public Health; and
- A factsheet on Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and Joint Commission requirements for workplace violence prevention.