A bill in California that would legally mandate employers to implement a workplace violence prevention plan is just one vote away from becoming law, amid increasing concern about the safety of workers.
Senate Bill 553, which has already been passed by the state's upper house, is due to be given a third reading in the State Assembly on Wednesday, before heading for a full vote. If passed, and signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom, it would become law on July 1 next year.
The measure seeks to compel employers whose workers face "a credible threat of violence" to provide "effective" violence prevention training and maintain a violence incident log. Employers' violence prevention plans will have to ensure "that employees comply with safe and healthy work practices, which may include disciplinary action."
The bill would also allow employers to seek temporary restraining orders against violent individuals for their premises and, from January 2025, would allow unions to also seek a restraining order on an employee's behalf without them being named in the complaint.
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Provisions for protecting healthcare employees from violence are already on the statute books in California, but SB 553 would broaden these protections out to nearly all customer-facing workplaces.
Newsweek approached the Speaker's Office of the California State Assembly via phone for comment on Wednesday.
Democratic state Senator Dave Cortese, who originally sponsored the bill, said on...
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