New and Revised Workplace Violence Prevention Requirements for AHC and LAB
Effective July 1, 2025, The Joint Commission has approved new and revised workplace violence prevention requirements for all Joint Commission–accredited ambulatory health care organizations and laboratories. These requirements will be effective July 1, 2025.
Workplace violence poses a significant occupational hazard for health care workers. However, the prevalence may be underestimated due to underreporting, as incidents are often perceived as minor. To address the safety concerns that affect patients, staff, and visitors, The Joint Commission is implementing accreditation requirements for workplace violence prevention. These requirements align with similar updates in the critical access hospital, hospital, behavioral health and human services, and home care programs.
The new and revised requirements provide a framework to guide organizations in developing effective workplace violence prevention strategies. The requirements address the following:
- Defining workplace violence, including a formal definition added to the Glossary
- Developing worksite analysis processes
- Outlining leadership oversight
- Developing policies and procedures to prevent workplace violence
- Reporting systems, data collection, and analysis
- Implementing post-incident strategies
- Providing training and education to decrease workplace violence
The new and revised requirements will be posted on the Prepublication Standards page of The Joint Commission’s website and will publish online in the spring 2025 E-dition® update to the Comprehensive Accreditation Manual for Ambulatory Care (CAMAC) and Comprehensive Accreditation Manual for Laboratory and Point-of-Care Testing (CAMLAB).
For more information contact The Joint Commission’s Standards and Survey Methods.
Publication Standards:
Prepublication Standards - Effective July 1, 2025