California employers will need to create, adopt, and implement workforce violence prevention plans, a mandate from Senate Bill 553 that Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law last September.

SB 553 creates the first general industry workplace violence prevention safety requirement in the US. California's Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) reports that 57 people died in 2021 from acts of workplace violence.

The new legislation covers all employees in the state with a few exceptions, including employers already covered by Cal/OSHA's Violence Prevention in Health Care standard, locations not open to the public where fewer than 10 employees work at a given time, the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, and law enforcement agencies.

The deadline for covered employers to develop and implement their plans is July 1. Plans must include training employees and supervisors on workplace violence matters, creating and maintaining a violent incident log, and keeping training records. Training also must cover how to report workplace violence incidents, corrective measures the employer has implemented, and strategies to avoid physical harm.

The law requires the workplace violence prevention plan to be in writing and easily accessible to all employees.