Employment Law Alert: Cal/OSHA Publishes Model Workplace Violence Prevention Plan

California’s Senate Bill 553 (codified as California Labor Code Section 6401.9) requires that most employers in California implement an effective workplace violence prevention plan by July 1, 2024. The plan may be incorporated as a stand-alone section in an employer’s written injury and illness prevention program or maintained as a separate document.

The California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) recently published its Model Workplace Violence Prevention Plan for General Industry as guidance to assist employers to comply with this requirement. Employers should work with counsel to tailor this workplace violence prevention plan, as Cal/OSHA’s form is merely a model, with numerous areas requiring customization by the employer.

Employers must also provide training (appropriate in content and vocabulary to the educational level, literacy, and language of its employees) when the plan is first established, and annually thereafter. The training must provide an opportunity for interactive questions and answers with a person knowledgeable about the plan, so it cannot merely entail employees watching a pre-recorded video about generic workplace violence prevention.

Employers seeking further guidance may contact any of the firm’s attorneys.