08-27-2026
Employer Insight: Beginning September 18, 2027, New York hospitals and nursing homes must devise violence prevention programs for their workers, patients, residents, and visitors. They have one year to establish their protocols and maintain compliance with the law.
Beginning January 1, 2027, NY hospitals must also conduct annual workplace safety and security hazard assessments. They must develop a “safety and security” plan to protect staff and patients from aggressive and/or violent behavior. The plan must address how to mitigate specific risks identified in the assessment.
NY hospitals must solicit feedback from employees and union representatives in developing their safety and security assessment and plans. They must give employees and their unions written detailed summaries of the safety and security plan. Hospitals must set up and explain methods for reporting workplace violence incidents. The hospital security or safety committee must receive redacted workplace violence incident log summaries, trends, and analyses.
Hospitals must also maintain continuous emergency department (ED) security on staff. The number of security officers required depends on the size and location of the hospital. For cities or counties with one million or more citizens, one security person must always be present in the emergency department. For populations under a million, one security person must be on the premises, with priority given to the ED.
The law does not include specific penalties for violations, and the state may have broad discretion in enforcement. However, NY’s Public Health Law permits civil penalties up to $2,000 per public health code violation. The state Attorney General may also issue injunctions.
NY healthcare facilities should assess their workplace violence risks, create a workplace prevention plan, and hire security as needed.