Healthcare workers are facing more threats than ever. Learn what’s fueling rising workplace violence and what’s still being overlooked.
Healthcare workers, especially those providing in-home care, face a unique set of safety risks every day. Yet many of the dangers they face remain invisible until something goes wrong. From aggressive patients to signal dead zones, the factors driving workplace violence and injury in healthcare are often ignored until someone gets hurt.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, healthcare workers are five times more likely to experience workplace violence than those in other professions. Despite this, many organizations still don’t have effective prevention strategies in place.
Aware360 ran a webinar with our VP of Operations, Julia Howard, and our COO, Darrell Graham on this topic. Watch the webinar below:
Most healthcare workers don’t know what’s waiting behind the next door. In-home visits can expose staff to unsecured weapons, violent behavior, or aggressive pets.
One chilling example is the case of Joyce Grayson, a behavioral health nurse who was murdered during an eight-minute home visit with a known offender. Her employer lacked a workplace violence prevention plan, risk assessment tools, and a way for Joyce to call for help. OSHA later issued a $160,000 fine, and her family filed a lawsuit that may cost the organization millions.
This wasn’t just a tragedy. It was a predictable failure. And one that continues to repeat across mobile healthcare workforces who enter uncontrolled, unpredictable environments daily.
What to do:
“Gone are the days of talking about it. Workers need to see that safety is a priority, with real investment in tools and policies.” - Julia Howard, VP of Operations.
Sometimes, it's not just that a worker is in danger it's that no one even knows. If a healthcare worker becomes unconscious or injured and can't call for help, precious time is lost.
“There are still workers going hours before anyone knows something is wrong.”
— Julia Howard
Whether it’s a fall, seizure, or medical emergency, the delay in awareness can be the difference between recovery and tragedy.
What to do:
A major blind spot in healthcare safety is what happens after the first red flag. Many organizations still rely on outdated or informal reporting systems. And when a worker speaks up, but no action follows, it erodes trust and increases risk.
“Talking about safety once a year isn’t enough. If your organization is gathering risk info but doing nothing with it, you’re liable.” - Julia Howard.
Another issue is that many staff underreport due to fear of retaliation or a belief that nothing will change. This leads to missed patterns and preventable incidents.
What to do:
“We can't prevent what we’re not tracking, and right now, too many orgs are flying blind.” - Julia Howard.
“Gone are the days of talking about it. What are you doing about it? I need to see visibly that investment.”
— Darrell Graham, COO of Aware360.
These moments of hindsight come at a high cost. When an organization skips safety training, lacks a prevention plan, or fails to document risk, it’s not just a compliance issue. It’s a liability. Regulatory bodies like OSHA are focusing more on enforcement, especially in healthcare, where the risks are well known and the consequences of inaction are often irreversible.
What can organizations do to be ready before something happens?
Proactive planning doesn’t just meet compliance requirements, it can save lives.
Healthcare workers in rural or underserved areas often lose cell signal. Without GPS, data, or Wi-Fi backup, they can disappear off the radar, just when they may need help most.
“What happens when you're in a rural environment? You might lose cell coverage or that ability for connectivity… If something were to happen — and clearly it is happening — do I have the means to signal for help?”
— Darrell Graham.
When location data drops out, response time follows. Every minute without visibility increases the risk of a preventable outcome.
What to do:
Burnout is more than just a productivity issue. It’s a safety threat. Cognitive fatigue reduces reaction time and situational awareness, making staff more vulnerable in violent or chaotic environments.
As highlighted in the webinar, this study shows that 55% of healthcare workers report burnout symptoms. In some regions, turnover has hit 60%, compared to just 13% in other sectors.
“If your brain is overloaded, you miss warning signs. Burnout and violence are more connected than we like to admit.” - Julia Howard.
What to do:
The time between appointments can be just as dangerous as what happens during them. Vehicle accidents, inclement weather, slips, and falls are common and often under-monitored.
“If something were to happen, do I have the means to signal for help?”
— Darrell Graham
Without real-time visibility into travel status, incidents on the road can go unnoticed until it’s too late.
What to do:
Abuse isn’t rare. It’s daily. In the webinar hosted by Aware360, speakers discussed how 44% of home healthcare workers reported experiencing abuse, and 63% fear being injured on the job.
“Nearly half of home healthcare workers have experienced some form of verbal or physical abuse… It only takes one.”
— Darrell Graham
These workers often don’t report abuse, fearing they’ll be blamed or seen as unprofessional. Others feel like reporting doesn’t lead to action.
What to do:
When we think of safety risks, we often picture external threats, but a healthcare worker's own health can pose just as serious a danger. Fainting, seizures, cardiac events, or other sudden medical issues can happen without warning. For lone workers, especially those behind closed doors in a client’s home, the risks are compounded by isolation.
Julia Howard shared a recent and deeply personal reminder of that reality. While attending a healthcare conference in Las Vegas, she collapsed alone in her hotel room due to critically low potassium levels and a fractured fibula.
“I was scared… I’ve pressed that button for others, but never had to use it for myself — until that night.”
— Julia Howard
Her colleague used Aware360’s mobile safety tool to get help. Paramedics arrived within minutes. The experience reinforced the importance of having emergency response tools not just for clients but also for the workers themselves.
What to do:
From Cal/OSHA legislation to audits from The Joint Commission, healthcare orgs are under pressure to prove, not just promise, worker protection.
New regulations require documented prevention plans, escalation processes, and data on workplace violence.
“They’re not just asking for policies anymore. They want logs, check-ins, incident records, and proof of real-time support.” - Darrell Graham.
What to do:
The biggest risk isn’t what might happen, it’s doing nothing to prevent it. Inaction leads to tragedy, legal action, and employee turnover.
“If somebody presses our button, we're either going to verify they're safe or send help. Any doubt? We act. That’s what builds trust.”
— Julia Howard
Every missed check-in, delayed response, or ignored report is a gap waiting to become a headline. Prevention costs less than recovery.
What to do:
Organizations looking to improve healthcare worker safety have a range of technology partners to choose from. Aware360 enables real-time protection for mobile teams by supporting a wide range of devices and response workflows.
Covenant Health, which serves 17 counties, tested a number of solutions before choosing Aware360’s AlertGPS solution. Within a week of deployment, a panic button was used to call help for a distressed family member, potentially saving a life.
Key capabilities supported by Aware360 include:
Aware360 works with organizations to design safety programs that meet compliance standards and deliver results workers can feel everyday.
Want to see how Aware360 can help protect your healthcare teams? Book a demo today.
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Duty of care is defined as the legal obligation for employers to protect their workers from harm and undue risks while at work.