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May 27, 2025
Effective July 1, 2025, Vermont hospitals will be required to create a security plan to prevent workplace violence and to manage aggressive behavior. They must post a notice in a conspicuous location indicating that hospital employees will not tolerate an unsafe work environment and reminding hospital patrons of the serious legal consequences of assaulting a hospital employee.
The security plan must be based on a security risk assessment that addresses all high-risk areas of the hospital, including the emergency department, and all patient care areas. It must establish training requirements for hospital employees on various topics, including response to the presence or use of weapons, de-escalation techniques, and crisis intervention.
Hospitals will be required to evaluate the security plan annually in connection with the data they have collected pursuant to a mandated reporting system that tracks, documents, and evaluates incidents of workplace violence. All hospital employees must be notified of, and receive training on, the reporting system that has been put in place.
Additionally, the law requires hospitals to adopt a policy prohibiting discrimination or retaliation for reporting workplace violence, seeking assistance, or participating or refusing to participate in an investigation of workplace violence
The new law is in line with similar efforts by many other states, including California, Connecticut, Illinois, Virginia, and Washington, to address violence against healthcare workers. According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), workplace violence is a recognized hazard in the healthcare industry. OSHA has concluded that, in most workplaces, where risk factors can be identified, the risk of assault can be prevented or minimized if employers take appropriate precautions.
The author of this article, Karen Edginton Milner, is a member of the Bars of Louisiana and Pennsylvania. This article is designed to provide one perspective regarding recent legal developments, and is not intended to serve as legal advice in Louisiana, Pennsylvania, Vermont, or any other jurisdiction, nor does it establish an attorney-client relationship with any reader of the article where one does not exist. Always consult an attorney with specific legal issues.
