Get in Compliance: Workplace Violence Prevention Requirements!

As a reminder, July 1, 2024 marks the deadline for virtually all California employers to have a written Workplace Violence Prevention Plan (WVPP) and provide initial training to employees on the employer’s plan. Fear not—we have resources available to assist you! We have also included some important reminders about the training requirements. With the deadline looming, we recommend getting the WVPP training scheduled as soon as you can!

Creating the Employee Training

If you need assistance with creating your employee training, we have a training template that can help. CEA's Workplace Violence Prevention Training Guide and Presentation template includes over 30 slides organized to incorporate the requirements and key definitions so you can easily present the materials to your staff. Remember, the training must be customized to your specific plan, and the trainer must be someone knowledgeable in your specific plan. The WVPP employee training template will have areas for you to customize your plan easily. It is available for purchase in the CEA Store. CEA members receive a discounted rate!

Need Assistance with All Plan Requirements?

Are you just starting, or are in the middle of creating your WVPP and need help getting to the finish line? CEA also has a comprehensive Do-It-Yourself Package available for administrators/employers, which includes a 90-minute training recording and tool kit to guide you through the process and ease the headaches. It is available for purchase in the CEA Store. Remember, all CEA members already have access to our WVPP Tool Kit on the Employer Tool Kits page!

Required WVPP Employee Training:

General Requirements

The trainer must be someone that is knowledgeable in the employer’s specific WVPP. The training must be customized to the employer’s workplace/hazards, and it must be interactive and allow for employee questions and answers by someone knowledgeable in the employer’s plan.

Employers must use training material appropriate in content and vocabulary to the educational level, literacy, and language of employees. Employers must retain specified training records for at least one year, as outlined in Labor Code section 6401.9.

Employee training must be provided when the WVPP is first established (i.e., initially by July 1, 2024), upon identification of new hazards or plan changes, and on an annual basis.

Covered Topics

The training must cover the definitions in Labor Code section 6401.9 (i.e., SB 553), as well as:

• The employer’s WVPP, how to obtain a copy of the employer’s plan at no cost, and how to participate in the development and implementation of the employer’s plan.

• How to report workplace violence incidents or concerns to the employer or law enforcement without fear of reprisal.

• Workplace violence hazards specific to the employees’ jobs, the corrective measures the employer has implemented, how to seek assistance to prevent or respond to violence, and strategies to avoid physical harm.

• The violent incident log and how to obtain copies of records pertaining to hazard identification, evaluation and correction, training records, and violent incident logs.

The training may also, but is not required to cover, the following: strategies to avoid/reduce workplace violence, including risk factors and defusing hostile situations, recognizing alerts, alarms and other warnings, escape routes, emergency medical care, and post-event trauma counseling available to employees. To supplement your training, CEA members may access free courses on many of these topics at CEA University.