Safety at Work
Frankfort, KY (WorkersCompensation.com) – A Kentucky state legislator has filed a bill to hold the perpetrators of assaults against health care workers “accountable.”
State Rep. Jason Nemes (R-Middletown) filed House Bill 713 recently that is aimed at helping health care workers who face any type of violence on the job. The lawmaker said he hopes it will keep workers safer. The legislation mandates that healthcare providers would have to report to the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services that they provide staff with violence prevention training both at the time of hire and once annually, as well as maintain a system for employees to report incidents of violence. Providers would also be required to display signage in a prominent place that would inform patients they could face felony charges if they are violent toward health care workers.
Healthcare facilities that participate in Medicare and Medicaid programs are already required to hold violence prevention training, but Nemes’ bill would require them to confirm that they are compliant each year.
“Our health care workers are heroes who dedicate their lives to caring for others and should never have to face violence on the job,” Nemes said. “This bill strengthens protections, standard reporting protocols, and accountability for those who commit violent acts against them.”
In testimony before the House health committee, April Hester, the co-chair of the Kentucky Nurses Association’s Governmental Affairs Cabinet, said around 63 percent of medical providers have reported being injured by violent attacks in the workplace. However, she said, “those numbers have escalated,” since the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to a study published in Nurse Leader, the increase in attacks on nursing personnel has been steadily increasing from 14,434 in 2019 to 23,767 in 2023. The report found that physical assaults were the most frequent type of reported incident, and that 50 percent resulted in no injury. Psychiatric units report the highest rates of assault, followed by emergency departments. Patients accounted for between 95 and 98 percent of the assailants, and registered nurses were the most frequently attacked, accounting for between 62 and 64 percent of the assaults.
Nemes said workplace violence contributes to staffing shortages, as experienced professionals leave the field, putting additional strain on his state’s health care workforce.
“Strengthening workplace safety not only protects our workers but also sends a clear message: violence will not be tolerated,” he said.
Hester said nurses were in the crosshairs of people under stress every day. Whether it was from dealing with an illness, or dealing with family members who may add to the emotional turmoil of a moment, it’s hard to tell why patients lash out, she said.
“We are — we being health care providers — five times more likely to experience that violence,” she told the Kentucky Lantern. “We don’t have data as to why.”
Providing information that may help prevent attacks is a better way of protecting health care workers, she said.
“I don’t think that we can shift focus to the perpetrator, other than making them aware that acts of violence won’t be tolerated in facilities,” Hester said. “We can’t control the actions of others. What we can do is let them know that it’s not tolerated.”
In addition to training and reporting, his legislation would require hospitals to maintain internal reporting systems and prohibit retaliation against workers who report incidents in good faith. The legislation would also require hospitals and other healthcare facilities to regularly review incidents and update safety policies, and to offer follow-up procedures and support resources for staff affected by workplace violence.
Legislation to make attacks on health care workers a felony passed in the state in 2024. That legislation mirrors federal legislation that has been introduced to protect healthcare workers at the federal level.
In May 2025, U.S. Reps. Madeleine Dean (D-PA) and Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-IA) introduced the Save Healthcare Workers Act that would create legal penalties for individuals who knowingly and intentionally assault hospital employees. The Congresswomen said the legislation would extend protections offered to aircraft and airport workers to hospital employees.
“While hospitals and health systems typically have protocols to detect and deter violence on their property, there have been growing incidents of violence inside our nation’s hospitals in recent years,” the congresswomen said in a statement. “Disruptions caused by violence and intimidation can prevent hospital staff from providing the best possible care and only worsen their record levels of stress and burnout.”
Dean introduced similar legislation during the 117th Congress and the 118th Congress as well. The legislation was referred to the Judiciary Committee in May of last year and where no action has been taken on it.
Nemes’ bill passed in the state’s House of Representatives and now heads to the Senate for consideration.
