Employers, Don’t Overlook Your Annual Workplace Violence Prevention Obligations

In this episode of The Workplace podcast, CalChamber Labor and Employment General Counsel Bianca Saad and CalChamber Associate General Counsel Matthew Roberts discuss what employers are required to do annually to comply with general industry workplace violence prevention standards.

On July 1, 2024, California’s general industry workplace violence prevention standards went into effect, requiring employers to have a workplace violence prevention plan. They also had to train their employees about the plan, amongst other requirements.

Even though businesses may have spent a significant amount of time last year complying with the initial workplace violence prevention standards, under the law, employers still have annual requirements that they can’t ignore.

Employers are required to review their workplace violence prevention plan annually — and update it as needed — and train their employees on that plan. But what exactly does that mean?

On this podcast, our employment law experts describe:

• How employers can review the effectiveness of their workplace violence prevention plan, including worksite inspections and employee input, and update the plan, if necessary;
• How to handle multiple work sites, including a field or client site;
• Three instances when employers must train employees on their workplace violence prevention plan; and
• What employers are required to discuss in their trainings.

Keep in mind, workplace violence prevention plans and trainings must be specific to the employer and the worksite — there isn’t a one-size-fits-all plan available that would comply with the law.

Because these annual plan reviews and training require substantial effort, employers need to get started, if they haven’t already.

Need more help preparing? CalChamber’s Workplace Violence Prevention Toolkit contains a model workplace violence prevention plan as well as a checklist and steps for the plan administrator to follow to ensure things aren’t missed.

Plus, if you plan to purchase — or already have bought — our toolkit, you can add our Workplace Violence Prevention Support service to collaborate directly with our employment law experts.

Missed CalChamber’s Revisiting Your Workplace Violence Prevention Program for 2025 webinar? Purchase the recording from the CalChamber Store.