Status: Enacted — Signed by Governor Greg Abbott in June 2023. Effective September 1, 2023; compliance required by September 1, 2024.

Bill Number: TX SB 240 (88R)

Jurisdiction: Texas

Category: Healthcare Workplace Violence, Hospital Security

Industries: Healthcare

Enacted Date: June 2023 (Governor Greg Abbott)

Effective Date: September 1, 2023; covered facilities required to be in full compliance by September 1, 2024

Summary: Texas SB 240, codified in Health and Safety Code Chapter 331, requires every covered Texas health care facility to adopt and implement a workplace violence prevention plan, establish (or authorize) a workplace violence prevention committee, conduct a security risk assessment, deliver annual workplace violence prevention training, and maintain a confidential reporting system with anti-retaliation protections. SB 240 is widely cited as among the first comprehensive state-level mandates requiring written workplace violence prevention programs across multiple healthcare settings, and remains a leading template that subsequent state laws (Oregon SB 537, Vermont Act 9, the pending Missouri HB 3401) have followed.

Key Requirements:

Workplace Violence Prevention Committee: Each covered facility must establish a committee — or authorize an existing facility committee — to develop the workplace violence prevention plan. The committee must include at least one registered nurse who provides direct patient care and, where practicable, at least one facility employee who provides security services.
Written Prevention Plan: Adopt and implement a written workplace violence prevention plan addressing risk identification, hazard mitigation, response procedures, and post-incident review.
Security Risk Assessment: Conduct an assessment of facility-specific workplace violence hazards as the basis for the prevention plan.
Annual Training: Provide workplace violence prevention training to covered employees on at least an annual basis.
Confidential Reporting and Anti-Retaliation: Maintain a confidential mechanism for employees to report incidents without fear of discipline or retaliation for good-faith reporting.
Plan Review: The prevention plan must be reviewed and updated as workplace conditions and risks change.

Covered Facilities: Licensed hospitals, licensed nursing facilities that employ at least two registered nurses, and home and community support services agencies that are licensed or licensed and certified to provide home health services and employ at least two registered nurses.

Penalties and Enforcement: SB 240 does not establish a dedicated citation or penalty schedule. However, the relevant licensing agencies are authorized to take disciplinary action against facilities that fail to comply with Chapter 331's requirements as part of routine licensure oversight.

Companion Legislation: Texas SB 840 (88R), enacted alongside SB 240, enhanced the criminal penalty for assaulting a hospital employee on hospital property to a third-degree felony, complementing the prevention-program mandate with a stronger deterrent for assault offenses.

Affected Entities: All licensed Texas hospitals, qualifying licensed nursing facilities, and qualifying home and community support services agencies.

IntelliSee Relevance: High. SB 240 requires every covered facility to operate a workplace violence prevention committee, conduct ongoing risk assessments, and document incidents in a confidential reporting system. IntelliSee's AI-powered continuous monitoring directly supports each of those obligations — automated detection of weapons, aggressive behavior, falls, and unauthorized access produces verifiable, time-stamped incident records that strengthen the committee's risk assessment, the prevention plan's hazard analysis, and the post-incident review workflow. For Texas health systems already past the September 1, 2024 compliance deadline, IntelliSee is a complementary engineering control that closes the gap between staff-reported incidents and the underlying ground truth.

Texas Healthcare Workplace Violence Prevention (SB 240)

Related Legislation

Turn Legislative Mandates Into a Working Safety Program