California employers must implement detailed Workplace Violence Prevention Plans by no later than July 1, 2024, following the recent promulgation of California Senate Bill 553, which creates a series of new obligations intended to safeguard employees and workplace safety.
According to the CalOSHA and the National Safety Council, workplace assault is one of leading causes of worker deaths. There are currently no national workplace violence standards issued by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), but the federal agency has utilized its General Duty Clause authority under Section 5(a)(1) of the OSH Act to pursue enforcement against employers who fail to provide a workplace safe of recognized hazards. Indeed, in 2023 alone, OSHA has issued citations against four hospitals and health care systems stemming from workplace violence.
Since April 2017, CalOHSA has required health care employers in California to implement workplace violence safety rules. Now, however, virtually all employers in California will be required to implement precautionary programs following the California Legislature’s September 30, 2023, enactment of SB 553. There are some limited exceptions, such as companies with teleworkers working from their choice of location, as well as businesses with less than 10 employees that are not accessible to the public.
In pertinent measure, the new law requires California businesses to “establish, implement, and maintain” a Workplace Violence...
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