AB 2975 and the Future of Workplace Violence Prevention in Healthcare

Healthcare facilities are designed to be accessible.

Patients, visitors, employees, vendors, and emergency responders enter a hospital through multiple locations throughout the day. That accessibility is crucial to delivering care, but it also creates a uniquely complex security environment. 

The challenge is improving protection without creating unnecessary delays, staffing burdens, or barriers to patient care. Healthcare leaders are no longer asking whether security needs to be strengthened. They know it does. 

In California, Assembly Bill 2975 is bringing greater attention to that responsibility. 

What is California AB 2975?

California enacted AB 2975 as an expansion of the state’s existing workplace violence prevention requirements for hospitals. 

The updated standards must address automated screening at the hospital’s designated main public entrance, the emergency department entrance and labor and delivery entrance if it is separately accessible to the public. 

Other requirements include: 

• Trained screening personnel
• Alternative screening methods
• Response protocols when a weapon is detected 
• Public signage 
• De-escalation and implicit bias training 
• Continued access to emergency medical care

The California Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board is required to adopt the updated standards by March 1, 2027. The Division of Occupational Safety and Health must establish an effective compliance date that is no more than 90 days after the final standard is adopted. 

Beyond Compliance

AB 2975 gives hospitals a clear reason to evaluate entrance security, but installing weapons detection equipment alone should not be viewed as a complete security strategy. 

Compliance is the requirement. Protecting employees, patients, visitors, and healthcare professionals is the mission. 

Hospitals must consider what happens after an alarm, how secondary screening will be handled, who receives critical alerts, and how these incidents will be documented as part of a broader workplace violence prevention program. 

Security planning should also account for the many access points beyond the main entrance including staff entrances, parking garages, delivery areas, and exterior doors that may not be continuously staffed. 

Weapons screening should be one part of a broader security plan. The plan could include bag screening, door monitoring, mobile alerts, staff training, incident reporting, and clearly defined response procedures.

An effective security system connects detection with awareness, verification, and response.

How Entry Shield Can Help

Entry Shield’s patented platform brings weapons detection, bag screening, door monitoring, mobile notifications, and incident-response tools into a unified security environment. 

We can help healthcare organizations connect detection with real-time awareness and response. 

As organizations prepare for AB 2975, Entry Shield can support: 

• Entrance and site evaluations
• Traffic flow planning
• Screening procedures
• Training materials
• Signage 
• Response protocols

The goal is not to simply install the equipment. It is to help security teams understand what is happening and respond more effectively. 

Start Planning for AB 2975

Preparing for AB 2975 will require more than selecting weapons-detection equipment. 

Starting early gives healthcare organizations time to build a screening program around their actual operations rather than rushing to meet a deadline. 

Entry Shield can help your team assess its current security environment, identify potential gaps, and develop a more connected approach to weapons detection.

Access our AB 2975 Compliance Playbook on our White Papers page:

White Papers | Entry Shield  

Contact Entry Shield to begin planning:

Contact | Entry Shield  

Sources

California Legislative Information – Assembly Bill 2975

Cal/OSHA – Workplace Violence Prevention in Health Care

California Code of Regulations – Title 8, Section 3342 

OSHA – Workplace Violence in Healthcare

This article is intended for general informational purposes and should not be considered legal or regulatory advice. Healthcare organizations should consult their legal and compliance teams regarding AB 2975 and the forthcoming California workplace safety standards.