TYPE I
Criminal intent
The person has no legitimate relationship to the organization or worker and is typically committing another crime.
Healthcare Workplace Violence Prevention + Intelligence
CODE SAFETY:Protecting Healers by Preventing Harm.
WPV = WORKPLACE VIOLENCE
What it means: OSHA describes workplace violence as acts or threats of physical violence, harassment, intimidation, or other threatening behavior that occur at the work site, ranging from threats and verbal abuse to physical assault and homicide. OSHA definition →
Code Safety State WPV Policy Tracker
How is healthcare workplace violence addressed across the states?
Use the map for the national picture. Select a state for a short classification, then continue to WPV-Prevention + Politics for the detailed law summary and official source.
Select a state on the map or use the menu below. D.C. is tracked separately from the 50-state counts.
Official-source reverified duty16 states
A current official state source confirms a healthcare WPV prevention, planning, security, or reporting duty.
Enacted healthcare-WPV law32 states
An enacted healthcare-WPV law was identified in the national baseline; scope varies.
Active legislation1 state · South Carolina
Active healthcare-WPV legislation identified with no enacted baseline law in the national review.
No enacted baseline law identified1 state · Wyoming
D.C. is tracked separately and excluded from the 50-state counts.
Policy snapshot reviewed August 16, 2026. Detailed state summaries, review dates, and source links are maintained on WPV-Prevention + Politics. Verify the controlling official source before making a compliance decision.
The Four Types of Workplace Violence
WPV is broader than patient assault.
NIOSH classifies workplace violence by the relationship between the person causing harm and the worker. Type II is the most common form in healthcare, but prevention requires understanding the full picture.
TYPE II
Patient / visitor → worker
A patient, client, family member, visitor, or other recipient of services directs threats or violence toward a healthcare worker.
Most common in healthcareTYPE III
Worker → worker
A current or former employee directs threats, abuse, or violence toward another worker.
TYPE IV
Personal relationship
A person with a personal relationship to the worker brings threats or violence into the workplace.
Classification source: CDC/NIOSH
CODE SAFETY™
Protecting Healers by Preventing Harm.
Workplace Violence in Healthcare is a Public Health Crisis Requiring Measurable, System-Level Prevention and Accountability.
The Code Safety™ Framework is an evidence-informed, healthcare-specific methodology for turning workplace-violence risk into measurable prevention action.
It brings together risk signals, incident learning, evidence, policy intelligence, and organizational readiness in one structured approach—helping healthcare organizations move from fragmented information to a repeatable prevention discipline.
The Code Safety™ Framework
Capture Risk
See the signals that reveal where preventable harm may be developing.
Organize Intelligence
Connect events, organizational conditions, evidence and policy into a clearer picture of risk.
Deploy Prevention
Translate findings into prioritized, accountable prevention actions.
Evaluate Impact
Re-measure what changed, identify remaining gaps, and continuously strengthen prevention.
One Framework for Safety-Success