Effective July 1, 2024, most California employers will be required to adhere to a comprehensive set of workplace violence prevention regulations.
The standard mandates that covered employers develop a comprehensive, accessible and written Workplace Violence Prevention Plan (WVPP), ensuring that employees and supervisors receive training on workplace violence issues. Furthermore, it necessitates the creation and maintenance of a detailed violence incidence log, alongside record-keeping of all training sessions and workplace incidents that involve violence.
Exceptions exist for California employers that are already required to comply with California’s existing workplace violence prevention standard for healthcare, as well as employees teleworking from a location of their choosing that is not controlled by the employer. These exceptions also apply to places of employment that are not accessible to the public and where there are fewer than 10 employees working at any given time.
Requirements include:
- Designate individuals responsible for the plan.
- Involve employees and authorized representative in plan development.
- Coordinate the plan with other employers when necessary.
- Review and revise the plan with employee involvement as needed.
- Identify and address workplace violence hazards through inspections.
- Provide initial and annual training.
- Maintain records of hazard identification, evaluation and correction.
- Save training records.
- Keep a violence incident log.
- Document workplace violence incident investigations.
- Retain these records for at least five years and provide them to Cal OSHA upon request.
Additional information about the law and its requirements may be found on the State of California Department of Industrial Relations website.
The information provided here is intended for informational purposes only and should not be construed as legal advice. While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information, it is not guaranteed to be correct, complete or up to date. Legal matters often have specific individual circumstances that affect the appropriate course of action. As such, we strongly recommend consulting with a qualified legal professional for any legal advice pertaining to your situation.