(April 2024) – The threat of workplace violence is an unfortunate fact of life for workers in all industries and settings. This is especially true for those in health care—which is sadly ironic given their dedication to helping others. Nevertheless, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' latest data on workplace violence in health care1 reveals health care and social services workers are five times more likely to suffer from a workplace violence injury than workers overall.
Workplace violence in health care takes many forms and impacts all types of workers. According to a June 2023 joint survey by health care improvement company Premier and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality,2 40 percent of health care workers—including those in clinical care and administrative roles, as well as security personnel—experienced an incident of workplace violence in the last two years. Incidents ranged from emotional and verbal assaults to physical and sexual abuse. Contributing factors listed by survey respondents included mental illness, drugs/alcohol and other patient-related factors.
The ongoing issue of workplace violence in health care has not gone unnoticed by state governments. The American Nurses Association lists a total of 38 states that have created specific penalties for assaults against nurses,3 with some also updating existing laws to include additional penalties for violence committed against first responders and other health care workers and volunteers.
Clearly, health care workers who deal directly with the public face risks while performing daily business activities, even with security presence on the premises. Employers can offer valuable insurance protection for workers by providing them with coverage—such as that offered by Chubb's Felonious Assault solution—against serious injuries that may occur on the job in the event of felonious assault. Felonious assault involves the unlawful use of force against workers in conjunction with crimes such as robbery, theft, hostage-taking, and more.
You may already be familiar with Chubb who, together with Conrade, is KHSC's preferred partner for Kansas hospital property insurance. Chubb realizes accidents due to felonious assault may cause more than just physical damages. In the case of an assault, workers' compensation may not be enough to meet all the financial needs or additional expenses that result. Chubb's felonious assault solution provides a cash benefit due to hospitalization for a covered incident, along with a meaningful, lump-sum benefit to beneficiaries in the event of a death. It also includes psychological therapy benefits that may become critical to a worker's recovery. This is a significant benefit, as a report issued by National Nurses United4 has shown the effects of experiencing an act of workplace violence can lead to burnout, along with moral distress and injury.
For example, if a health care worker was accidentally injured during a violent altercation in the emergency room, Chubb's felonious assault policy would pay a lump sum benefit to that worker. This benefit would pay above workers' compensation, allowing the employer to help the worker transition from this event. If required, the psychological therapy benefit would reimburse expenses for the worker's therapy as required by a physician, up to 5 percent of the principal sum for expenses incurred for treatment. The benefit is payable on an excess basis for treatment occurring within two years of the covered accident, subject to a total benefit maximum of $10,000. In the end, purchasing a felonious assault policy would allow the employer to provide valuable insurance benefits for workers while potentially going above statutory requirements and building goodwill.
Click here for more information about Chubb's felonious assault coverage. To discuss how you can offer this coverage to your valued workers, contact Chris Conrade, president and risk consultant for Conrade Insurance Group, Inc., at (316) 999-8014 or cconrade@conradeinsurance.com.
The claim scenario described is hypothetical and offered solely to illustrate the types of situations that may result in claims. This is not based on actual claims and should not be compared to an actual claim. The precise coverage afforded is subject to the terms and conditions of the policy as issued. Chubb is the marketing name used to refer to subsidiaries of Chubb Limited providing insurance and related services. For a list of these subsidiaries, please visit www.chubb.com. Insurance is provided by the Federal Insurance Company. All products may not be available in all states. This communication contains product summaries only. Coverage is subject to the language of the policies as actually issued. Chubb, 202 Hall's Mill Road, Whitehouse Station, NJ 08889-1600. 03/2024
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1U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (n.d.). Workplace violence in healthcare, 2018. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. https://www.bls.gov/iif/factsheets/workplace-violence-healthcare-2018.htm
2Premier survey reveals key insights on workplace violence incidents... Premier. (n.d.). https://premierinc.com/newsroom/blog/premier-survey-reveals-key-insights-on-workplace-violence-incidents-in-healthcare
3Workplace violence. ANA. (2017, October 26). https://www.nursingworld.org/practice-policy/advocacy/state/workplace-violence2
4Deadly shame. (n.d.). https://www.nationalnursesunited.org/sites/default/files/nnu/graphics/documents/1220_Covid19_DeadlyShame_PandemicEquity_WhitePaper_FINAL.pdf