Clearing Common Misconceptions About Workplace Violence Prevention Standards

In this episode of The Workplace podcast, CalChamber General Counsel, Labor and Employment Bianca Saad and CalChamber Employment Law Subject Matter Expert Vanessa Greene discuss common misconceptions about California’s general industry workplace violence prevention standards and how employers can proactively remain in compliance.

It’s already been one year since California’s workplace violence prevention standards took effect — applying to nearly every business in California with only a few narrow exceptions. This means that since July 1, 2024, employers have been required to:

• Have a written workplace violence prevention plan with specific technical elements;
• Provide tailored workplace violence prevention training to their employees;
• Create a process for investigating and recording workplace violence incidents; and
• Keep specific records related to their plan, training and any incidents.

Plus, California employers must annually review their workplace violence prevention plans and complete yearly employee training.

Applying the law’s many specific requirements to real-world worksites has created confusion for employers, so in this podcast, Greene and Saad answer common questions they have received, including:

• How do employers create a compliant workplace violence prevention plan across multiple worksites?
• How must employers involve their employees when creating, reviewing or revising their prevention plans?
• Can employers use a generic workplace violence prevention training for their employees?
• Can employers use mandatory harassment prevention training to address these workplace violence prevention training requirements?
• Which employers are exempted from these requirements?

Still confused about California employers’ workplace violence prevention requirements? CalChamber can help demystify them with our Workplace Violence Prevention Support Solutions, which provide clear, practical resources to help employers meet this law’s requirements.