According to OSHA, some of the risk factors for workplace violence in a healthcare setting include:
- Prevalence of handguns and other weapons among patients, their families, or friends
- Increasing use of hospitals by the criminal justice system for criminal holds and the care of acutely disturbed, violent individuals
- Increasing number of acute and chronically mentally ill patients being released from hospitals without follow-up care, who now have the right to refuse medicine and who can no longer be hospitalized involuntarily unless they pose a threat to themselves or others
- Availability of drugs and money at hospitals, clinics, and pharmacies, making them likely robbery targets
- Unrestricted movement of the public in clinics and hospitals
- Presence of gang members, drug/alcohol abusers, trauma patients, distraught family members
- Low staffing levels during times of increased activity such as meal and visiting times, transporting of patients
- Isolated work with clients during exams or treatment
- Solo work, often in remote locations, high crime settings with no back-up or means of obtaining assistance such as communication devices or alarm systems
- Lack of training in recognizing and managing escalating hostile and aggressive behavior
- Poorly lit parking areas
