Workplace Violence Prevention: California’s New Requirements Under SB 553
Effective July 1, 2024, nearly every California employer must maintain a written workplace violence prevention plan, train employees on the plan, and maintain a log of violent incidents. The law creates new obligations for employers — and new protections for employees who report threats, who experience violence, or who are retaliated against for raising safety concerns.
California has long regulated workplace safety through Cal/OSHA. But until recently, workplace violence was addressed primarily through the general duty clause — the broad requirement that employers maintain a safe workplace — rather than through a specific standard. SB 553, codified at Labor Code section 6401.9, changed that by requiring most employers to develop and implement a written workplace violence prevention plan with specific content, training, and recordkeeping requirements.
The law is significant not only for the obligations it creates but for the protections it provides to employees who engage with the system — who report violent incidents, who identify threats, or who object to conditions that put workers at risk.
What the law requires
A written plan. Every covered employer must establish, implement, and maintain a written workplace violence prevention plan. The plan must be specific to the employer’s workplace and must include: the names or titles of the persons responsible for implementing the plan; procedures for identifying and evaluating workplace violence hazards; procedures for reporting workplace violence incidents without fear of reprisal; procedures for responding to actual or potential workplace violence emergencies; procedures for post-incident response and investigation; and training requirements.
The plan must be developed with employee involvement. Employers are required to seek the active involvement of employees and their authorized representatives in developing and implementing the plan. This means the plan cannot be drafted by management in isolation and imposed on the workforce — it must reflect the input of the people who work in the environment the plan is designed to protect.
Training. Employers must provide initial training to employees when the plan is first established and annual training thereafter. The training must cover: the employer’s workplace violence prevention plan; how to report workplace violence incidents, threats, and concerns; strategies to avoid physical harm; the violent incident log and how it is maintained; and the employer’s anti-retaliation policy for employees who report workplace violence.
A violent incident log. Employers must maintain a log of every workplace violence incident. The log must include the date, time, and location of the incident; a detailed description of the incident; a classification of who committed the violence (a current or former employee, a customer, a stranger, etc.); the circumstances of the incident, including the events leading up to it; the type of violence involved; the consequences of the incident, including injuries sustained; and the actions taken by the employer in response.
The log must be maintained in a manner that protects the privacy of the individuals involved and must be made available to employees, their representatives, and Cal/OSHA upon request.
Who is covered
The law applies to nearly all California employers, with limited exceptions. Employers specifically excluded include: certain healthcare facilities covered by existing Cal/OSHA workplace violence standards; employees working remotely from a location of the employee’s choice that is not under the employer’s control; facilities operated by the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation; and law enforcement agencies.
For all other employers — retail, food service, technology, finance, manufacturing, professional services, and every other industry — the plan, training, and recordkeeping requirements apply.
The protections for employees
SB 553 creates specific protections for employees who engage with the workplace violence prevention system.
No retaliation for reporting. The employer may not discharge, discriminate against, or retaliate against any employee who reports a workplace violence incident, who reports a concern about a potential threat, or who participates in the development or implementation of the workplace violence prevention plan. This anti-retaliation protection is a critical component of the law — the reporting system works only if employees are willing to use it, and willingness depends on protection.
The right to review the plan. Employees have the right to review the employer’s workplace violence prevention plan. An employer that refuses to make the plan available to employees upon request is in violation of the statute.
The right to report without fear. The plan must include procedures for reporting incidents “without fear of reprisal.” This is not merely a policy preference — it is a statutory requirement. An employer whose reporting procedures do not include protections against retaliation has not complied with the statute.
The intersection with existing protections
SB 553 does not operate in isolation. It intersects with several existing legal frameworks that protect employees in connection with workplace safety and violence.
Cal/OSHA retaliation protections. Labor Code section 6310 protects employees who report unsafe conditions, including conditions related to workplace violence. An employee who reports a threat and is retaliated against has a claim under both SB 553 and section 6310.
Restraining orders. Code of Civil Procedure section 527.8 allows an employer to seek a temporary restraining order on behalf of an employee who has been subjected to violence or a credible threat of violence. SB 553’s identification and response procedures complement this existing tool.
Domestic violence workplace protections. An employee who is a victim of domestic violence and whose abuser poses a threat in the workplace is protected under both the domestic violence leave statutes and SB 553’s violence prevention framework. The employer’s plan must account for this intersection.
Workers’ compensation. An employee who is injured in a workplace violence incident is entitled to workers’ compensation benefits for the injury. The employer’s compliance or noncompliance with SB 553 may also be relevant to any negligence or safety-related claims arising from the incident.
What this means for employees
SB 553 creates a documented, enforceable framework that employees can point to when they believe their workplace is unsafe. Before this law, an employee who reported a threatening coworker or a dangerous customer had limited recourse if the employer ignored the report. Now, the employer has a specific, statutory obligation to have a plan, to investigate incidents, to log them, and to respond.
An employee who reports a workplace violence concern — a threatening coworker, a customer who has made violent statements, a pattern of aggressive behavior that is escalating — is engaging in protected activity. If the employer retaliates rather than responds, the retaliation is independently actionable.
If your employer does not have a workplace violence prevention plan, has not trained you on it, or has retaliated against you for reporting a violent incident or a credible threat, the employer is in violation of California law. SB 553 requires prevention, documentation, and protection — and the obligation applies to nearly every employer in the state.
This article is general information about California law and is not legal advice. Every situation turns on its particular facts.