Silver Spring, MD — A vast majority of nurses who took part in a recent survey say they’ve experienced workplace violence in the past year, while more than a third report that such incidents have increased in their unit.
Those findings are from a survey of nearly 1,300 union and nonunion nurses from 28 states and the District of Columbia. The survey was conducted between July 2025 and this past May by National Nurses United, the nation’s largest union of registered nurses.
Around 85% of the nurses reported experiencing at least one type of workplace violence in the past year, with verbal threats (70%) the most common. At least a third of the nurses indicated that they were verbally harassed (38.8%); pinched or scratched (36.8%); slapped, punched or kicked (33%); or physically threatened (33%).
Meanwhile, 36.4% of the nurses agreed that incidents of workplace violence increased in their unit in the past year. By contrast, only 6.8% reported an annual decrease in incidents.
Other findings:
- The most common contributors to workplace violence, according to the nurses: short staffing, inadequate security and a lack of support from management.
- 63% of the nurses say their experiences with workplace violence have led to anxiety, fear or increased vigilance.
- 23.4% have experienced a physical injury or other physical symptoms (headaches, stomach aches, etc.) because of the issue.
- 42.5% say their employer doesn’t change practices to reduce the risk of violence, while 22.8% report that their employer ignores nurses’ reports of workplace violence incidents.
NNU has pledged support for legislation that would require OSHA to create a comprehensive standard on workplace violence prevention in the health care and social services industries.
The Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act (S. 1232/H.R. 2531), which was reintroduced in Congress in April 2025 by Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Rep. Joe Courtney (D-MA), would require employers to create, implement and maintain effective prevention programs.
According to NNU, the bills would help create a standard that would include all elements needed to protect nurses and other health care workers.
