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As previously reported (HERE), California Senate Bill 553 (codified at California Labor Code § 6401.9) requires all employers with limited exceptions – such as those with private places of employment with less than 10 employees present at a time, and remote employees who work from a location of their choice over which the employer has no control – to, among other things, establish and implement a written Workplace Violence Prevention Plan (“WVPP”) by July 1, 2024. On March 1, 2024, the California Department of Industrial Relations Division of Occupational Safety and Health (“Cal/OSHA”) published its Model WVPP for General Industry (non-health care settings), downloadable HERE and available on the Cal/OSHA Publications website HERE.
The Model WVPP is an editable form with instructions to employers on incorporating their workplace-specific information. Use of the Model WVPP is not mandatory – employers may create a free-standing plan or add a standalone workplace violence prevention section to their existing Injury and Illness Prevention Program – and Cal/OSHA makes clear that using the Model WVPP does not automatically ensure that the company is in compliance with Section 6401.9, which also includes requirements related to maintaining a violent incident log and other records and providing employee training. Employers are required to engage with their workforce in developing and implementing their WVPP regardless of whether they use Cal/OSHA’s model (which includes a section addressing the active involvement of employees).
In addition to the Model WVPP, Cal/OSHA published workplace violence prevention fact sheets for general industry employers (available HERE) and employees (available HERE). Fact sheets specific to agricultural operations also are available (HERE and HERE).
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