AN ACT relating to workplace violence against health care professionals.

UNOFFICIAL COPY 26 RS HB 713/GA
Page 1 of 7
HB071310.100 - 373 - XXXX 3/9/2026 4:27 PM GA
AN ACT relating to workplace violence against health care professionals. 1
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Kentucky: 2
Section 1. KRS 216.701 is amended to read as follows: 3
As used in KRS 216.701 to 216.709[this chapter]: 4
(1) "Cabinet" means the Cabinet for Health and Family Services; 5
(2) "Health care worker" means any person, whether lic ensed or unlicensed, 6
temporarily or permanently employed by, volunteering in, or under contract with a 7
health facility, who has direct contact with a patient of the health facility for 8
purposes of either medical care or emergency response situations potent ially 9
involving violence; 10
(3)[(2)] "Health facility" has the same meaning as in KRS 216B.015; 11
(4)[(3)] "Workplace" means any property that is owned or leased by the health facility 12
at which the official business of the health care worker is conducted; 13
(5)[(4)] "Workplace safety" means the process of protecting health care workers' 14
physical well-being from workplace violence; and 15
(6)[(5)] "Workplace violence" means any act or threat of physical violence, 16
harassment, intimidation, or other threatening disruptive behavior that occurs at the 17
workplace. 18
Section 2. KRS 216.703 is amended to read as follows: 19
(1) [By January 1, 2024, the Cabinet for Health and Family Services shall develop and 20
disperse the following information to health facilities: 21
(a) Guidelines for developing a workplace safety assessment; 22
(b) Examples of a workplace safety plan; and 23
(c) Examples of workplace safety standards specific to preventing workplace 24
violence against health care workers. 25
(2) Beginning January 1, 2025, the cabinet shall annually audit health facilities for 26
compliance with the provisions of KRS 216.701 to 216.709. 27
UNOFFICIAL COPY 26 RS HB 713/GA
Page 2 of 7
HB071310.100 - 373 - XXXX 3/9/2026 4:27 PM GA
(3) ]Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, the cabinet shall accept 1
that a health facility is in compliance with KRS 216.701 to 216.709 if the health 2
facility: 3
(a) Is accredited by a[the Joint Commission or an other] nationally recognized 4
accrediting organization [with comparable standards and survey processes, 5
that is ] approved by the United States Centers for Medicare and Medicaid 6
Services; or 7
(b) 1. Is recognized by the United States Office of the Inspector G eneral as a 8
health facility certified to participate in the Medicare and Medicaid 9
programs by the United States Centers for Medicare and Medicaid 10
Services, provided that the health facility annually attests to the 11
cabinet, on a form and in a manner determined by the cabinet, that the 12
health facility: 13
a. Maintains a workplace safety assessment and workplace safety 14
plan that meets or exceeds the standards required by its 15
accrediting organization; 16
b. Provides violence prevention training to all health care wor kers 17
upon hire and annually thereafter; 18
c. Maintains an internal reporting system through which health 19
care workers may report incidents of workplace violence; 20
d. Prohibits retaliation against any health care worker who makes 21
a report of workplace violence in good faith; and 22
e. Conducts periodic reviews of incidents of workplace violence and 23
updates its workplace safety plan as needed. 24
2. Notwithstanding subparagraph 1. of this paragraph, the cabinet may 25
require a health facility to comply with the requirem ents of KRS 26
216.701 to 216.709 if the cabinet determines, based on objective 27
UNOFFICIAL COPY 26 RS HB 713/GA
Page 3 of 7
HB071310.100 - 373 - XXXX 3/9/2026 4:27 PM GA
evidence obtained through licensure survey or substantiated 1
complaint, and not in an arbitrary or capricious manner, that the 2
health facility's workplace safety assessment or work place safety plan 3
has failed to reasonably identify, mitigate, or respond to risks of 4
workplace violence. 5
3. A health facility subject to the requirements of subparagraph 2. of this 6
paragraph shall remain subject to the requirements until the cabinet 7
determines that the health facility has remedied the deficiencies and 8
may resume safe harbor status. 9
(2) All health facilities, including any health facility deemed to be in compliance with 10
KRS 216.701 to 216.709 in accordance with subsection (1) of this sectio n, shall 11
display a notice that shall: 12
(a) Be a legible printed sign at least eight and one -half (8.5) inches by eleven 13
(11) inches in size, with letters in at least sixteen (16) point font; 14
(b) Be displayed in a prominent location in each health facility, including but 15
not limited to the main entrance, major patient waiting area, visitor 16
management area, emergency room, and other high traffic areas; and 17
(c) Indicate that any form of threatening or aggressive behavior toward health 18
care workers will not be t olerated and could result in consequences 19
including a felony conviction[; 20
(c) Is licensed as an assisted living community pursuant to KRS Chapter 194A; or 21
(d) Is any provider that accepts payment for services from an individual receiving 22
state supplementation pursuant to KRS 205.245]. 23
(3)[(4)] The cabinet shall promulgate the necessary administrative regulations in 24
accordance with KRS Chapter 13A to effectuate the provisions of KRS 216.701 to 25
216.709. 26
Section 3. KRS 216.705 is amended to read as follows: 27
UNOFFICIAL COPY 26 RS HB 713/GA
Page 4 of 7
HB071310.100 - 373 - XXXX 3/9/2026 4:27 PM GA
(1) (a) Health facilities shall develop and execute a workplace safety assessment to 1
identify the risk of workplace violence against health care workers. 2
(b) Health facilities shall create a workplace safety p lan to address the risks 3
identified in the workplace safety assessment. Each health facility shall 4
develop the workplace safety plan in a way that affords appropriate 5
representation from all the different types of health care workers operating on 6
the premises. 7
(2) The workplace safety assessment described in subsection (1)(a) of this section shall 8
outline strategies aimed at addressing security considerations and factors that may 9
contribute to or present the risk of workplace violence, including but not lim ited to 10
the following: 11
(a) The physical attributes of the health facility setting, including security 12
systems, alarms, emergency response, and security personnel available; 13
(b) Staffing, including staffing patterns, patient classifications, and procedures to 14
mitigate violence against health care workers; 15
(c) Job design, equipment, and facilities; 16
(d) First aid and emergency procedures; 17
(e) The reporting of violent acts; 18
(f) Health care worker education and training requirements and implementation 19
strategy; 20
(g) Security risks associated with specific units, areas of the health facility with 21
uncontrolled access, late night or early morning shifts, and health care worker 22
security in areas surrounding the health facility such as the parking areas; and 23
(h) Intervention procedures for providing assistance to a health care worker 24
directly affected by an incident of workplace violence. 25
(3) Health facilities shall annually: 26
(a) Conduct a workplace safety assessment; 27
UNOFFICIAL COPY 26 RS HB 713/GA
Page 5 of 7
HB071310.100 - 373 - XXXX 3/9/2026 4:27 PM GA
(b) Review the workplace violence incidents from the previous year for patterns 1
that indicate risk;[ and] 2
(c) Review the workplace safety plan and make any necessary adjustments; and 3
(d) Inform health care workers of any changes to policies or procedures or 4
changes to the workplace safety plan based on the requirements in this 5
subsection[. 6
(4) In developing the workplace safety assessment and safety plan required by 7
subsections (1) to (3) of this section, the health facility shall consider any guidelines 8
on workplace safety standards issued by the cabinet pursuant to KRS 216.703]. 9
Section 4. KRS 216.709 is amended to read as follows: 10
(1) Health facilities shall develop an internal reporting system for acts of workplace 11
violence committed against a health care worker, patien t, or visitor on the health 12
facility's premises, and shall train health care workers on the proper reporting 13
procedure for when health care workers experience or witness workplace 14
violence. 15
(2) Health facilities shall maintain a record of reported acts of workplace violence 16
committed against a health care worker, patient, or visitor on the health facility's 17
premises. Each record shall be kept for five (5) years following the date the act was 18
reported, during which time the record shall be available for inspection by the 19
cabinet upon request. The report shall include: 20
(a) The health facility's name and address; 21
(b) The date, time, and specific location on the health facility's premises where 22
the reported workplace violence occurred; 23
(c) The name, job title, department or ward assignment, and staff identification or 24
Social Security number of the victim; 25
(d) A description of the person against whom the act was committed as: 26
1. A patient; 27
UNOFFICIAL COPY 26 RS HB 713/GA
Page 6 of 7
HB071310.100 - 373 - XXXX 3/9/2026 4:27 PM GA
2. A visitor; 1
3. A health care worker; or 2
4. Other; 3
(e) A description of the person who allegedly committed the violent act as: 4
1. A patient; 5
2. A visitor; 6
3. An employee; or 7
4. Other; 8
(f) A description of the type of workplace violence committed as: 9
1. Harassment, verbal abuse, or other threatening and violent behavior with 10
no physical contact or violence; 11
2. Physical violence resulting in mild soreness, surface abrasions, 12
scratches, or small bruises; 13
3. Physical violence resulting in major soreness, cuts, or large bruises; 14
4. Physical violence resulting in severe lacerations, a bone fracture, or a 15
head injury; or 16
5. Physical violence resulting in loss of limb or death; 17
(g) An identification of any body part injured; 18
(h) A description of any weapon used; 19
(i) The number of health care workers in the vicinity of the act when it occurred; 20
and 21
(j) A description of actions taken by employees of the health facility in response 22
to the act. 23
(3) Health facilities shall develop a procedure to follow up with individuals w ho 24
experienced[victims of the] reported acts of workplace violence that requires the 25
health facility to inform the individual of actions taken after the incident and any 26
plan for future action. 27
UNOFFICIAL COPY 26 RS HB 713/GA
Page 7 of 7
HB071310.100 - 373 - XXXX 3/9/2026 4:27 PM GA
(4) Health facilities shall provide individuals who experience d[victims of] workplace 1
violence with support , which may include access to physical and mental health 2
resources. 3