Free Resources

A new law recently enacted in California requires employers to implement a workplace violence prevention plan and could prove influential if other states follow suit. On Sept. 30, Governor Gavin Newsom signed SB 553 into law, requiring nearly all businesses to have their plans in place by July 1, 2024. Exempted from the law are employers already covered under the Workplace Violence Healthcare standard Cal/OSHA 3342, Department of Corrections and law enforcement agencies, and businesses with 10 or fewer employees who do not meet the public.

Security professionals need to work with all building departments and occupants to keep their facilities safe from workplace violence, a growing problem in all types of facilities. On September 26, during Facilities Management Advisor’s FM Now: Emergency Preparedness online summit, guest speaker Hector Alvarez, president of Alvarez Associates, provided the opening keynote. The presentation, titled “Security Is a Constantly Evolving Responsibility,” centered on keeping workplace facilities safe.

Workplace safety and health hazards have traditionally been associated with unsafe work practices and hazardous conditions but violent acts committed in the workplace are a growing concern. On September 30, 2023, Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law Senate Bill (SB) No. 553, which requires virtually every California employer to implement a comprehensive workplace violence prevention plan with very specific requirements. We recently presented a webinar on the new law, reviewing SB 553 and its very specific requirements. In an effort to address many of the questions our webinar attendees asked and to share that information, we’ve developed this list of frequently asked questions (FAQs).

On September 30, 2023, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed SB-553 into law. SB-553 is the nation’s first workplace violence prevention law. The law adds a new section 6401.9 to the California Labor Code, which will be implemented by Cal/OSHA. The new law requires that employers an effective plan aimed at preventing workplace violence in place by July 1, 2024. The plan may be incorporated into an existing Injury, Illness, and Prevention Plan and does not apply to workers teleworking form a location of the employee’s choice or employers already regulated by existing standards for the healthcare industry.

On September 30, 2023, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed SB-553 into law. SB-553 is the nation’s first workplace violence prevention law. The law adds a new section 6401.9 to the California Labor Code, which will be implemented by Cal/OSHA. The new law requires that employers an effective plan aimed at preventing workplace violence in place by July 1, 2024. The plan may be incorporated into an existing Injury, Illness, and Prevention Plan and does not apply to workers teleworking form a location of the employee’s choice or employers already regulated by existing standards for the healthcare industry.

With SB-553 signed into law, nearly all California employers will be required to formulate Workplace Violence Prevention Plans, train employees on workplace violence and begin logging violent incidents in detail by July next year. Governor Gavin Newsom signed the bill – SB 553 – on Sept. 30, superseding a similar standard the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) had been working on since 2017; now, Cal/OSHA’s Standards Board will be required to codify the SB 553 guidelines into its workplace violence standards and begin enforcing them by July 1, 2024.

A California Chamber of Commerce-opposed bill that increases business costs and establishes a one-size-fits-all workplace violence regulation on all California employers is scheduled to be heard in the Assembly Appropriations Committee today.

On September 30, 2023, California enacted Senate Bill No. 553 (“S.B. 553”), which requires covered California employers to adopt a comprehensive workplace violence prevention plan by July 1, 2024. These plans may be stand-alone documents or incorporated as new sections of the employer’s Injury and Illness Prevention Program (IIPP).