Brian Uridge is a public safety and healthcare security leader with extensive experience spanning law enforcement, fire services, and hospital security operations. Currently serving in senior leadership roles at the University of Michigan, he oversees large multidisciplinary teams, including security personnel, investigators, and specialized units.
Brian Uridge has contributed to the development of healthcare security strategies, including community policing models and integrated safety programs within medical environments. With nearly three decades of experience, his work focuses on risk management, violence prevention, and policy development in complex healthcare systems.
He is also a frequent national speaker on healthcare violence reduction, bringing practical insight into the growing challenges of workplace violence in clinical settings and the need for structured prevention strategies.
An Overview of WPV in the Healthcare Industry
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recognizes workplace violence as a serious hazard in many industries, including healthcare. OSHA defines WPV as any act of physical violence, threat, harassment, intimidation, or other disruptive behavior. Specific examples range from verbal abuse to assault, or even homicide. A person can perpetrate WPV against various parties in healthcare settings, including both employees and patients
WPV has become a significant threat in the healthcare space over the past few years. According to a 2024 American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) poll, 91 percent of ACEP members reported that they or a colleague had experienced violence over the preceding 12 months. An earlier ACEP survey found that 85 percent of members believed that the frequency of violence in emergency departments had increased over the preceding five years.
Emergency physicians are far from the only healthcare workers who face a high risk of on-the-job violence. A 2024 survey from National Nurses United found that nearly 82 percent of nurses experienced one or more forms of workplace violence in 2023. For nurses, as well as many other healthcare workers, violence generally comes from patients or family members. The growing threat of violence is a major contributor to the nation’s nursing workforce shortage.
Meanwhile, Security Magazine reports that 55 percent of all healthcare workers faced increased incidents of violence in 2025, based on data from Genetec’s 2026 State of Physical Security Report. A large portion of healthcare industry assaults occur in nursing and residential care facilities, though the risk of violence has increased across virtually all healthcare environments. Furthermore, experts believe that many instances of WPV go unreported, making it difficult to fully grasp the risk and impact of violence on healthcare workers.
Healthcare workers and security professionals must take several steps to evaluate workplace hazards and develop effective solutions. As a baseline measure, facility leaders should establish a zero-tolerance policy for workplace violence, protecting not just workers but also patients, partners and contractors, visitors, and any other person who engages with facility personnel.
With a foundational anti-violence policy in place, healthcare industry leaders can begin developing more specific measures to minimize the threat of WPV. OSHA strongly advocates for all facilities to launch Workplace Violence Prevention Programs. The program should outline engineering and administrative controls to reduce WPV risk, as well as anti-violence training opportunities for staff.
After finalizing a program, organizational leaders must ensure that all workers understand it and know that employers will take all claims of workplace violence seriously, responding to reports with thorough investigations and prompt resolutions.
Unfortunately, there is no universal strategy for identifying WPV risks and preventing healthcare industry violence. Specific risk factors can vary from one facility to another, and from unit to unit within the same facility.
That said, facility leaders and policy makers can look to known risk factors, such as employing or treating individuals with a known history of violence. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) maintains a list of risk factors in NIOSH Current Intelligence Bulletin #57: Violence in the Workplace: Risk Factors and Prevention Strategies.
Healthcare leaders can find a depth of resources at the OSHA website, osha.gov. The organization has created a Workplace Violence Safety and Health Topics Page consisting of important workplace analysis insights. Other helpful resources include OSHA’s Guidelines for Preventing Workplace Violence for Health Care and Social Services Workers, the United States Department of Health and Human Services’ (DHHS) Violence Occupational Hazards in Hospitals guidelines, and the DHHS guide to Workplace Violence Prevention for Nurses.
About Brian Uridge
Brian Uridge is a healthcare security and public safety leader based in Michigan, serving as deputy director of public safety and security and director of security for Michigan Medicine at the University of Michigan. With nearly 30 years of experience across law enforcement, fire service, and healthcare security, he oversees large teams and specialized units. Brian Uridge has led initiatives in policy development, threat assessment, and healthcare violence reduction, and is a frequent national speaker on security in clinical environments.
