ST. PETER — Workplace safety officials are investigating an assault at the Minnesota Security Hospital that left a counselor hospitalized with serious injuries.

The assault is the latest in a series of attacks on staff at the state’s largest psychiatric hospital. Minnesota Occupational Safety and Health Administration officials recently met with staff at the hospital which treats more than 200 of the state’s most violent and mentally ill patients.

In the latest attack, a 16-year-old patient is accused of grabbing a counselor by her hair, bashing her head against a wall and repeatedly kicking her in the head. OSHA records show 68 hospital staff members have been injured on the job this year, including two who suffered concussions.

According to a press release, Gov. Mark Dayton’s chief of staff, Jaime Tincher, plans to visit the hospital today, along with several state lawmakers.