PA SB709

Health facilities (hospitals, nursing homes, surgical centers, psychiatric hospitals, hospices, etc.) must establish violence prevention committees with at least 50% nonmanagerial employees, led by two co-chairs representing management and workers

Committees must conduct initial risk assessments based on 5 years of incident data, then annually thereafter, and develop written violence prevention plans addressing factors like staffing levels, public access, physical layout, and security response capabilities

Employees must report workplace violence incidents immediately and are protected from retaliation; facilities must maintain incident records for at least 3 years and provide reports to committees within 72 hours

Department of Labor and Industry may levy fines of $1,000 to $10,000 per violation, order corrective actions, conduct inspections, and issue subpoenas; courts may order injunctions, employee reinstatement, lost wages, and attorney fees

Facilities must provide violence prevention training at hire and annually, offer post-incident medical and mental health services, and post signs warning that employee assault is a felony