diff --git a/nano/lib/thread_roles.cpp b/nano/lib/thread_roles.cpp
index 89b2c5da0c..c8405c240a 100644
--- a/nano/lib/thread_roles.cpp
+++ b/nano/lib/thread_roles.cpp
@@ -206,9 +206,12 @@ std::string nano::thread_role::get_string ()
 
 void nano::thread_role::set (nano::thread_role::name role)
 {
-	auto thread_role_name_string (get_string (role));
-
-	nano::thread_role::set_os_name (thread_role_name_string);
-
+	auto thread_role_name_string = get_string (role);
+	nano::thread_role::set_os_name (thread_role_name_string); // Implementation is platform specific
 	current_thread_role = role;
 }
+
+bool nano::thread_role::is_network_io ()
+{
+	return nano::thread_role::get () == nano::thread_role::name::io;
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/nano/lib/thread_roles.hpp b/nano/lib/thread_roles.hpp
index 15b4a511cb..18f26f1cd0 100644
--- a/nano/lib/thread_roles.hpp
+++ b/nano/lib/thread_roles.hpp
@@ -87,4 +87,9 @@ std::string get_string ();
  * Internal only, should not be called directly
  */
 void set_os_name (std::string const &);
+
+/*
+ * Check if the current thread is a network IO thread
+ */
+bool is_network_io ();
 }
diff --git a/nano/store/transaction.cpp b/nano/store/transaction.cpp
index dcfc3d7e8d..0d1d6a9008 100644
--- a/nano/store/transaction.cpp
+++ b/nano/store/transaction.cpp
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@
 nano::store::transaction_impl::transaction_impl (nano::id_dispenser::id_t const store_id_a) :
 	store_id{ store_id_a }
 {
+	debug_assert (!nano::thread_role::is_network_io (), "database operations are not allowed to run on network IO threads");
 }
 
 /*