The Governor of New York, Kathy Hochul, has recently given a final approval to a new legislation aimed at the prevention of workplace violence in hospitals and nursing homes. This new law, known as S5294B, was signed in December and requires these facilities to put in place a written plan for violence prevention within 280 days of enactment.
Starting from 2027, this legislation stipulates that the healthcare facilities conduct yearly safety and security evaluations. These assessments are to be tailored uniquely to accord with each institution’s size, level of complexity, and geographic location. The results of these evaluations are expected to directly shape the security procedures including infrastructure upgrades and staff training initiatives.
In locations such as cities and counties boasting over a million residents, the law also dictates that there should be at least one off-duty law enforcement officer or professionally trained security personnel present in the emergency department around the clock. For hospitals in regions with lesser populations, on-site security personnel must be maintained, with priority for their stationing near the emergency department areas.
Constructed with a consideration for smaller and more remote healthcare institutions, the law includes exceptions for critical access institutions, rural emergency hospitals, as well as sole community hospitals, unless these establishments report growing incidences of violence.
In a bid to create more personalized and realistic violence prevention plans, the legislation urges the inclusion of front-line staff and, if applicable, unions in the development process. It also necessitates the maintenance of incident logs and the outpouring of the data gathered to the internal safety committees.
This law arrives in the wave of wider efforts in the health sector to tackle workplace violence. For instance, as of the end of 2026, all hospitals and emergency departments affiliated with OhioHealth based in Columbus are projected to stand equipped with metal detectors at public entries. Additionally, in response to an attack on patient care technician at Pittsburgh-based UPMC in November, local healthcare workers in Pennsylvania have also started to push hospital leaders to intensify their commitment to staff security.
Similar regulations for preventing workplace violence in the healthcare sector have been implemented by several states, including California, Oregon, and Washington, as revealed by Seyfarth Shaw, the renowned law firm.