Workplace Violence Collaborative
The South Carolina Hospital Association (SCHA) has partnered with Antum Risk to address one of the most pressing challenges in healthcare today: workplace violence. This new, voluntary Workplace Violence Collaborative collaboration is an innovative effort to monitor, track, and analyze incidents of violence in healthcare settings. By leveraging actionable data, hospitals and health systems across South Carolina can implement targeted strategies to enhance workplace safety and protect caregivers. See the full 2024 report here.
Workplace violence in healthcare is a growing concern nationwide. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the incident rate rose from 6.4 per 10,000 employees in 2011 to 10.4 per 10,000 employees in 2018. Healthcare workers accounted for 73% of all nonfatal workplace injuries due to violence that year. More recent studies reveal that 44% of nurses experienced physical violence and 68% endured verbal abuse during the pandemic.
SCHA members have made significant progress in fostering a culture of safety, but the lack of a universal, statewide data source has limited efforts to fully understand and address these risks. Through this partnership, SCHA will provide hospitals with a shared platform for reporting and benchmarking incidents. This unified approach will enable facilities to identify trends, adopt best practices, and collaborate on innovative solutions to reduce harm.
The initiative includes a self-assessment tool that allows hospitals to evaluate their current safety landscape and compare their data against statewide benchmarks. These insights will guide targeted interventions and support continuous improvement efforts.
“Hospital workers face unique risks every day,” said Lara Hewitt, Senior Vice President of SCHA. “This partnership gives our members the ability to speak a common language around workplace violence and work together to create safer environments for caregivers and patients alike.”
Wendy Stephenson, Vice President of Risk Management for Antum Risk, added, “Violence in healthcare is a reality. By understanding the underlying issues and sharing data, we can make meaningful progress toward reducing harm.”
Together, SCHA and Antum Risk are committed to ensuring that “do no harm” applies not only to patients but also to the healthcare heroes who serve them.
For hospitals interested in joining the collaborative, please complete the Participation Agreement, Data Use Agreement, and Organizational Assessment Survey. Once all three of the required program materials have been submitted, a staff member will contact you about the data submission process.