Despite CSAC’s
opposition, Governor Newsom signed
SB 553 (Chapter 289, Statutes of 2023), which added Section
6401.9 to the California Labor Code to require employers to
create workplace violence prevention plans. This law took effect
on January 1, 2024.
Earlier this month, California’s Division of Occupational Safety
and Health (“Cal/OSHA”) published a
Model Workplace Violence Prevention Plan to aid employers in
formulating a plan that aligns with the stipulations. The use of
this model template is optional, and perhaps too broad for
counties to adopt entirely, but it does provide the necessary
elements Cal/OSHA expects a Workplace Violence Prevention Plan to
include and could minimize the risk of non-compliance for
counties.
Cal/OSHA has also provided fact sheets for employers and
employees, covering general operations in non-health care
settings and agricultural operations. You can find those fact
sheets here.
