IV 
109TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. CON. RES. 278 
Expressing the sense of Congress that Congress should raise awareness about 
the importance of social worker and case worker safety. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
OCTOBER 26, 2005 
Mr. MOORE of Kansas (for himself, Mr. BAIRD, Ms. MILLENDER-MCDONALD, 
Mr. BERMAN, Mrs. NAPOLITANO, Mr. BACA, Mr. HINCHEY, Mr. SCHIFF, 
Mr. HONDA, Mr. FILNER, Ms. MATSUI, Mr. DICKS, Mr. PAYNE, Mr. 
DAVIS of Tennessee, Ms. LEE, Mr. RADANOVICH, Mr. LANTOS, Mr. 
COSTA, and Mrs. DAVIS of California) submitted the following concurrent 
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Education and the 
Workforce 
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 
Expressing the sense of Congress that Congress should raise 
awareness about the importance of social worker and 
case worker safety. 
Whereas, on August 17, 2004, Teri Zenner, a social worker 
and case manager with Johnson County Mental Health 
Center, was stabbed and killed during a routine, in-home 
visit with a client; 
Whereas, according to the Occupational Safety and Health 
Administration (OSHA), some 2 million American work-
ers are victims of job-related violence each year;
•HCON 278 IH 
Whereas some workers are at an increased risk of being vic-
timized by job-related violence, especially those who work 
alone or in small groups, during late night or early morn-
ing hours, and in high-crime areas, such as social work-
ers and case workers; 
Whereas, based on OSHA’s most recently published ‘‘Guide-
lines for Preventing Workplace Violence for Health Care 
& Social Service Workers’’, 48 percent of all non-fatal in-
juries from occupational assaults and violent acts oc-
curred in the fields of health care and social services; 
Whereas, based on 2000 Bureau of Labor Statistics findings, 
social service workers in the public sector, including so-
cial workers and case workers, are approximately 7 times 
more likely to be the victims of violent assaults while at 
work than are workers in the private sector; 
Whereas States such as California, New Jersey, and Wash-
ington, and the National Association of Social Workers, 
have all developed various safety programs with safety 
guidelines for social workers and case workers to follow 
while in the course of their employment; 
Whereas job-related violence against social workers and case 
workers affects these hard-working and dedicated individ-
uals, their families, their clients, and their communities 
throughout the United States; 
Whereas although not every incident of job-related violence 
can be prevented, many can, and the severity of injuries 
sustained by social workers and case workers can be re-
duced; 
Whereas social workers and case workers elevate service to 
others above self-interest, and draw on their knowledge,
•HCON 278 IH 
values and skills to help people in need and to address 
social problems; 
Whereas social workers and case workers seek to strengthen 
relationships among people in a purposeful effort to pro-
mote, restore, maintain, and enhance the well-being of in-
dividuals, families, social groups, organizations and com-
munities; 
Whereas there is a need to increase public awareness and un-
derstanding of job-related violence in the field of social 
services and to meet the needs of social workers and case 
workers in preventing such violence; and 
Whereas the dedication and success of those working to edu-
cate the public about, and prevent the occurrence of, job- 
related violence as it relates to social workers and case 
workers should be recognized: Now, therefore, be it 
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 
concurring), That— 
(1) it is the sense of Congress that Congress 
should raise awareness about the importance of 
workplace safety as it relates to social workers and 
case workers in the Nation by supporting the goals 
and ideals of preventing job-related violence against 
social workers and case workers; and 
(2) Congress encourages States and local agen-
cies to adopt measures that would improve the safe-
ty of social service workers. 
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