Workplace Violence Prevention and Active Assailant Response

For employees in healthcare, retail, social services, education and every workplace: recognize warning signs, de-escalate, report, and respond to an active assailant.

For: All employees, with examples for healthcare, retail, social services, education and field staff, plus the supervisors and safety committee members who help build workplace violence prevention plans

  • 2 contact hours
  • 8 modules
  • 10 interactives
  • 5 job aids
  • Updated October 7, 2026

What you will be able to do

  • Classify workplace violence incidents by Type 1 to 4 and identify the OSHA-listed risk factors that raise risk in your job, using current BLS data to explain who is most at risk.
  • Explain employer duties and worker rights under OSH Act Section 5(a)(1), OSHA's directive CPL 02-01-058 and guidelines 3148 and 3153, California Labor Code 6401.9, Joint Commission standards and OSH Act Section 11(c).
  • Identify workplace violence hazards through a worksite analysis and select controls using the hierarchy of controls and a job hazard analysis.
  • Recognize verbal, physical and situational warning signs, apply de-escalation techniques, decide when to disengage, and report concerning behavior for behavioral threat assessment.
  • Respond to an active assailant using Run, Hide, Fight (Avoid, Deny, Defend) and interact safely with arriving law enforcement.
  • Report and document incidents, threats and near misses accurately, support coworkers after an incident, and respond appropriately when domestic violence follows an employee to work.

Learn to classify workplace violence by its four types, spot the warning signs that come before most incidents, calm an upset person before things turn physical, and know exactly what to do in the first seconds of an active assailant event. You will practice in two branching scenarios (a pharmacy counter and a community center under attack), audit an urgent care lobby for hazards, fix a weak incident report and choose controls using the hierarchy of controls.

Built for everyone who works with the public or with coworkers under pressure, with examples from hospitals, home care, group homes, convenience stores, schools, benefits offices and warehouses across the United States. Every module ties its lessons to the OSH Act General Duty Clause, OSHA's enforcement directive and sector guidelines, and, where relevant, California's SB 553 (Labor Code 6401.9) and Joint Commission hospital standards.

Workplace violence is the third-leading cause of fatal work injuries in the US, and healthcare and social assistance workers account for nearly three in four serious nonfatal cases. This awareness course is honest about its limits: it is not OSHA Outreach training, and your employer must still train you on its own plan, alarms and exits. Five job aids, including a violence JHA worksheet, a walkthrough checklist, an incident report form and a training sign-off record, help make that happen.

What you’ll be able to do Monday morning

  1. Name the two exits and one lockable room nearest your usual work area, and know your site's help code or alarm.
  2. Open a tense conversation by naming the person's feeling and offering a real choice, while keeping your exit path clear.
  3. Report a threat or near miss the same shift, with exact words, times and witnesses.
  4. Spot at least three violence hazards in your workspace and suggest a control for each, starting at the top of the hierarchy.
  5. Explain to a coworker that retaliation for a safety report is illegal and that OSHA complaints must be filed within 30 days.
  6. Respond calmly and supportively if a coworker tells you a partner or ex-partner is threatening them.

Curriculum

8 modules · 31 lessons · about 2 contact hours

01What counts as workplace violence, and who is most at risk?Free preview13 min
  1. How do OSHA and other authorities define workplace violence?
  2. What are the four types of workplace violence?
  3. What do the numbers say about risk?
  4. Which risk factors raise your risk?
  • Sort activity: Which type of workplace violence is it?

Diagram · In practice checklist · 3-question knowledge check

02What does the law require of employers, and what protects you?14 min
  1. Is there a federal OSHA workplace violence standard?
  2. What do OSHA's guidelines recommend?
  3. What does California's SB 553 require?
  4. What other rules may apply, and what protects workers who speak up?
  • Matching activity: Match the rule to what it does

Diagram · In practice checklist · 3-question knowledge check

03How do you find violence hazards and choose controls that work?14 min
  1. How does a worksite analysis find violence hazards?
  2. What is the hierarchy of controls, and how does it apply to violence?
  3. What do strong controls look like in different workplaces?
  4. How do you pick the right control for a hazard?
  • Spot the issue: Spot the violence hazards: urgent care walkthrough

Diagram · In practice checklist · 2-question knowledge check

04How do you spot warning signs and calm a situation before it turns violent?15 min
  1. What warning signs come before violence?
  2. What does de-escalation actually sound and look like?
  3. When should you stop de-escalating and get out?
  4. What is behavioral threat assessment, and what is your role?
  • Branching scenario: The prescription that isn't ready
  • Self-assessment: How strong are your de-escalation habits?

Diagram · In practice checklist · 3-question knowledge check

05What should you report, to whom, and how do you write it up?13 min
  1. What should you report?
  2. Who do you tell, and how fast?
  3. What makes a good incident report?
  4. What happens to your report in a California workplace?
  • Decision tree: What do I do with this incident?
  • Spot the issue: Spot the problems in this incident report

Diagram · In practice checklist · 2-question knowledge check

06What do you do if an active assailant is in your building?15 min
  1. What is an active assailant, and why does preparation matter?
  2. What are Run, Hide, Fight and Avoid, Deny, Defend?
  3. What do you do when law enforcement arrives?
  4. How do care, school and public settings change the plan?
  • Branching scenario: Shots at the community center

Diagram · In practice checklist · 3-question knowledge check

07What happens after an incident, and what if domestic violence follows someone to work?14 min
  1. What should happen in the first hour after an incident?
  2. How do you support people after violence?
  3. How does domestic violence spill into the workplace?
  4. What can a workplace do to keep a targeted employee safe?
  • Ethics dilemma: "Please don't tell anyone"

Diagram · In practice checklist · 2-question knowledge check

08How do you make your workplace's prevention plan work where you are?13 min
  1. Why does worker participation matter so much?
  2. What should site-specific training cover that this course cannot?
  3. How do you choose controls for a real hazard? A worked example
  • Sort activity: Sort the controls by level

Diagram · In practice checklist · 2-question knowledge check

Final assessment: 23 questions, 80% to pass, then your certificate

Try it now, no account needed

The prescription that isn't ready

A branching scenario from this course. Your choices are not saved.

Free sample activity

The prescription that isn't ready

You are Jordan Ellis, a pharmacy technician at a retail pharmacy in Raleigh, North Carolina. It is 6:50 p.m. A customer, Mr. Dennis Kwan, was told his blood pressure prescription will not be ready until tomorrow because the insurer needs prior authorization. He is red-faced and loud: 'I've been coming here for ten years. I am not leaving without my pills.' A line is forming behind him.

Inside the course

Practice activities

  • Sort activity2
  • Matching activity1
  • Spot the issue2
  • Branching scenario2
  • Self-assessment1
  • Decision tree1
  • Ethics dilemma1

Job aids you keep

  • Workplace Violence Job Hazard Analysis (JHA) WorksheetWorksheet
  • Workplace Violence Hazard Walkthrough ChecklistChecklist
  • Workplace Violence Incident Report FormTemplate
  • Workplace Violence Prevention Training Sign-Off RecordLog
  • Workplace Violence Pocket CardPocket card

Credit and approval status

Certificate of completion

Certificate of completion for 2 contact hours of instruction. This course is not currently approved or accredited by IACET, SHRM, any licensing board, state agency or accreditor. It is awareness training: it is not part of the OSHA Outreach Training Program and does not provide an OSHA card. It does not, by itself, satisfy California Labor Code 6401.9 training, New York retail or public-employer training, or Joint Commission hospital training requirements, all of which require training on the employer's own plan. Check with your employer, board or state agency whether this course can count toward a specific requirement.

Pathways we are pursuing or may pursue include IACET continuing education units and SHRM professional development credits. No approval has been granted yet; this page will show any approval only after it is in place.

Our full approvals list

Questions about this course

Does this course count for continuing education or give me an OSHA card?

No. You earn a certificate of completion for 2 contact hours of instruction. The course is awareness training. It is not part of OSHA's Outreach Training Program, so it does not provide an OSHA card, and it is not currently approved by IACET, SHRM or any board. Ask your employer or board whether they accept it toward your own requirement.

Does this course meet California's SB 553 training requirement?

Not by itself. California Labor Code 6401.9 requires annual training on your employer's own written plan, with an opportunity for interactive questions and answers with someone knowledgeable about that plan. This course covers the concepts and California's rules, and employers can pair it with their own plan briefing and record both on the included training sign-off record.

Who is this course for?

All employees, especially those who work with the public: healthcare and home care staff, retail workers, social services staff, school and education employees, and field workers. Supervisors and safety committee members will also find the hazard analysis, control selection and post-incident review content useful for building or improving a workplace violence prevention plan.

How long does it take?

About 2 hours, including eight short modules, ten interactive exercises and a final assessment of 23 questions. You need 80% to pass, and retakes draw different questions from the bank. You can stop and resume at any point, and the job aids remain available to download after you finish.

Does it cover my state's workplace violence law?

It covers the federal rules that apply in every state and highlights California, New York and Virginia laws in the state notes. Many states have no general workplace violence law, but several have healthcare or retail laws, and some states run their own OSHA State Plans. Check with your employer which rules apply where you work.

Will the active assailant section be upsetting?

The course covers active assailant response in a factual, non-graphic way, focused on what to do to stay safe. There are no images or descriptions of injuries. If you have experienced violence and the topic is difficult, take breaks as needed and consider reaching out to your EAP, or call or text 988 for confidential support.

This course is general education and workplace safety awareness training from CE Courses Hub. It is not legal, medical or professional advice and does not replace your employer's policies, workplace violence prevention plan and site-specific training, your licensing board's rules, or advice from a qualified professional. In an emergency, call 911. Completing it earns a certificate of completion for the stated contact hours; it is not approved or accredited by any licensing board, state agency or accreditor unless an approval is shown on the course page. Check with your board, employer or state agency whether this course meets your specific requirement.