Kim’s Message: Keeping Your Employees Safe

Years ago, a disgruntled ex-employee drove all the way from Southern California up to the CEA main office in Sacramento, to deliver a manifesto and an oversized conspiracy-style poster board he had created, accusing CEA of destroying his career. This person claimed that he had been wrongly accused in a harassment investigation that CEA had conducted, on behalf of one of our members, and told our receptionist that he personally wanted to deliver this information to me. Thank goodness I was out of the office that day!

The very next day I had a keyless push button electronic lock installed on the front door, contacted our member to inform them of this safety concern, and contacted the police. This person continued to threaten me by email for weeks until our attorney sent him a cease and desist letter, and the threats finally stopped. It was a scary situation and thankfully no one was hurt! Prior to this incident, I had been unaware of this person and had never experienced a situation like this. However, this scenario has become all too common and often ends up on the news, without a happy ending.

SB 553 and WVPP

Governor Newsom signed SB 553 in September of 2023, which requires employers in California to create workplace violence prevention safety requirements for their employees by July 1,2024. Yes, next month. By July 1, 2024, businesses need to have a Workplace Violence Prevention Plan (WVPP) in place, solicit employee (and union) feedback, and provide WVPP training to their employees annually. While each plan must be customized to the needs of an individual business, have no fear, CEA is here to guide you through this process.

The intention behind a WVPP is to keep your employees safe. Your WVPP will need to address threats from coworkers, but also from customers, vendors, former employees, an employee’s family member or significant other, or from complete strangers. Examples include:

• Physical attacks without a weapon, including, but not limited to, biting, choking, grabbing, hair pulling, kicking, punching, slapping, pushing, pulling, scratching, or spitting.
• Attacks with a weapon or object, including, but not limited to, a firearm, knife, or other object.
• Threats of physical force or threat of the use of a weapon or other object.
• Sexual assault or threat of sexual assault, including, but not limited to, rape, attempted rape, physical display, or unwanted verbal or physical sexual contact.

Starting in July, employers will also be required to record all workplace violence incidents on an incident log and maintain those records for a minimum of five years. Cal/OSHA will enforce the requirements of WVPP’s under SB 553 (Labor Code Section 6401.9).

Exemptions to SB 553  

• Businesses and employers already covered by the Workplace Violence Prevention Standard for Healthcare
• When 100% of your employees are teleworking from a location of the employees’ choice that is not under control of the employer
• Places of employment not accessible to the public with less than 10 employees working on site at any given time, so long as they have a compliant Injury and Illness Prevention Plan
• Facilities operated by the CA Dept. of Corrections and Rehabilitation and law enforcement agencies

CEA can guide you through the WVPP Process

CEA members can download a free Do-It-Yourself (DIY) Workplace Violence Prevention Plan Tool Kit, on the Employer Tool Kits page of our website.

We are partnering with the Safety Center on June 4, 2024 to offer a free, Workplace Violence Prevention Plan Live Q&A. Join us if you have more questions about , about this new law, the requirements, and implementing your own plan.

If you missed the first live Workplace Violence Prevention Plan - Do It Yourself Package webinar and want to ask questions in real time, we are offering an encore presentation on June 20, 2024.

And, last but not least, in the event that you can’t join us live, or if you want to share this information with other members of your management team, purchase our recorded DIY WVPP webinar in the CEA Store.

Here’s to enjoying your summer and keeping your employees safe at work!