Are You Ready to Meet Your Company’s SB553 Requirements?
On September 20, 2023, Governor Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill No. 553 into law, sending a clear signal to California employers—they must take proactive steps to reduce incidents of violence in the workplace. The bill requires most employers to develop and implement a workplace violence prevention plan that conforms to Section 6104.9 of the California Labor Code, added to the code as part of this bill, by July 1, 2024. With this new compliance deadline looming, is your business aware of what you need to do to meet these new requirements? And are you prepared to comply?
What SB533 Means for California Businesses
Incidents of workplace violence can pose a significant threat to employees’ safety and well-being, and it is in every employer’s best interest to work to reduce the risk in their place of business. And perhaps your workplace has already taken steps in that direction. SB553 now requires all affected businesses “establish, implement, and maintain” a written workplace violence prevention plan including a comprehensive list of elements that are required for compliance. These are to ensure that it is clearly understood who is responsible for the plan, how employees can report incidents of violence, how such incidents will be handled, and that retaliation for reporting will not be tolerated. The law also requires that employees be actively involved in developing the plan, including “identifying, evaluating, and correcting workplace violence hazards,” among other things. In short, companies must create a plan tailored to the specific circumstances of their organization.
Further, the law requires the employer maintain a violent incident log for every incident, which must contain information including (but not limited to):
- Date, time, and location
- A detailed description of the incident
- A classification of who committed the violence (i.e., coworker, client/customer, supervisor, partner or spouse, etc.)
- A classification of the circumstances when the incident occurred
- A classification of where the incident occurred
- The type of incident and if it involved threats, physical violence, sexual violence, or other kinds of attacks
- The consequences of the incident, including if security or law enforcement was called and what steps were taken to protect employees from any ongoing threat or hazard
- Information on who completed the log, including name, job title, and date completed
These violent incident logs must be maintained for a minimum of five years.
The law also contains a robust training requirement, mandating that employers provide employee training when the plan is established, every year thereafter, and when a new or previously unrecognized workplace violence hazard has been identified and the plan has been changed. Training material must be “appropriate in content and vocabulary to the educational level, literacy, and language of employees” and cover not only mandated information, but also provide “[a]n opportunity for interactive questions and answers with a person knowledgeable about the employer’s plan.”
What are the consequences if a business is not in compliance? The Division of Occupational Safety and Health can issue citations or civil penalties. Noncompliance is also likely to increase the risk of an employee lawsuit if your lack of action allows hazardous conditions that contribute to workplace violence.
Don’t Wait to Get in Compliance with SB553!
If you’re realizing that your business isn’t on track to meet your SB553 requirements on time, don’t worry—Bridge Training Consultants, in collaboration with Hackler Flynn & Associates, is here to help. We can provide a plan that meets all the requirements of the law, training for your management team to inform them of their responsibilities and the preventative measures to take to combat workplace violence, and a compliant incident log. We also train your employees on what constitutes workplace violence and how they can de-escalate stressful situations to help prevent violent incidents. With bilingual trainers, we can provide training in English and Spanish to cover your entire workforce.
With July 1st deadline for the plan and training coming up fast, you don’t have time to waste—contact Bridge Training Consultants to learn more today.