Bill > H1687

This bill requires health care employers, defined as entities employing five or more individuals and operating a health care facility, to annually assess risks of workplace violence, including factors like working in public settings, late hours, or areas with uncontrolled access or known security issues. Based on this assessment, employers must develop a written violence prevention plan in cooperation with their employees and any unions representing them, which will detail identified hazards, methods to alleviate them (such as training, job design, staffing, or security changes), and a system for reporting and monitoring incidents. The plan must also include employee training on reporting to public safety officials and filing criminal charges, and employers must designate a senior manager to oversee an in-house crisis response team for victims of workplace violence. The commissioner of labor will establish rules and regulations to implement these requirements, and violations can result in fines of up to $2,000 per offense, with the possibility of cease and desist orders and closure of work sites. Importantly, employees cannot be penalized for reporting safety concerns or participating in the complaint process.