California Workplace Violence Prevention Plan (SB 553)

WORKPLACE VIOLENCE PREVENTION PLAN (WVPP)

Employer: [________________________________]
Establishment / Worksite: [________________________________]
Plan Administrator: [________________________________]
Effective Date: [__/__/____]
Last Review Date: [__/__/____]

1. Purpose and Scope

This Workplace Violence Prevention Plan (the "Plan") is established, implemented, and maintained by [EMPLOYER NAME] pursuant to California Labor Code § 6401.9. The Plan identifies and controls workplace-violence hazards, sets procedures for reporting and responding to incidents, and provides training for all employees covered by this Plan.

2. Coverage and Applicability

This Plan applies to employees of [EMPLOYER NAME] working at [LOCATION(S)], including full-time, part-time, temporary, seasonal, and leased employees where they are covered by the statute. It applies in each work area and operation and to employer-provided housing covered by the statute. Identify each location and its particular hazards and controls in the assessment below or an attached site schedule.

2.1 Exemptions (for reference only)

Cal/OSHA may order an otherwise exempt employer to comply or to include otherwise exempt employees or places of employment. Confirm the applicable exemption and any order before excluding a site or worker.

3. Definitions

• Emergency — Unanticipated circumstances that can be life-threatening or pose a risk of significant injury.
• Engineering Controls — Aspects of the built space or devices that remove a hazard or create a barrier between the worker and the hazard.
• Log — The Violent Incident Log required by Section 12 of this Plan.
• Plan — This Workplace Violence Prevention Plan.
• Threat of Violence — Any verbal or written statement (including texts, social media, or other online posts) or any behavioral or physical conduct that conveys, or is reasonably perceived to convey, an intent to cause physical harm or place someone in fear of physical harm, and that serves no legitimate purpose.
• Work Practice Controls — Procedures and rules used to effectively reduce workplace-violence hazards.
• Workplace Violence — An act or threat of violence in a place of employment. This includes threatened or actual force likely to cause injury or psychological trauma, and threats or use of a firearm or other dangerous weapon, even if no injury occurs. The four types are:
• Type 1 — Violence committed by a person with no legitimate business at the worksite (criminal intent).
• Type 2 — Violence directed at employees by customers, clients, patients, students, inmates, or visitors.
• Type 3 — Violence against an employee by a present or former employee, supervisor, or manager.
• Type 4 — Violence committed in the workplace by a person who does not work there but has (or had) a personal relationship with an employee.

Workplace violence does not include lawful acts of self-defense or defense of others.

4. Persons Responsible for the Plan

The Plan Administrator is responsible for overall implementation, annual review, training coordination, recordkeeping, and communication with Cal/OSHA. The Alternate performs those duties when the Administrator is unavailable. Each person with a role must know the hazards and controls for the work areas assigned to them.

5. Employee and Authorized Representative Involvement

Employees and their authorized representatives have been and will continue to be actively involved in:

☐ Developing and reviewing the Plan
☐ Identifying, evaluating, and correcting workplace-violence hazards
☐ Designing and implementing training
☐ Reporting and investigating workplace-violence incidents

Methods for involvement: [________________________________]

Frequency of employee safety meetings: [____________]

6. Coordination with Other Employers

When employees of other employers (contractors, subcontractors, temporary staffing agencies, delivery personnel) work at the worksite, [EMPLOYER NAME] will coordinate implementation of this Plan with those employers as follows:

• Share relevant portions of this Plan and applicable hazard assessments.
• Coordinate incident-reporting channels.
• Joint training where scope of work overlaps.
• Document each employer's responsibilities and contact person.

For every covered worker, identify which employer provides training, accepts reports, investigates the incident, and makes the required log entry. An employer whose employee experienced an incident records it and, at a multiemployer worksite, gives a copy of that log to the controlling employer.

7. Procedures to Accept and Respond to Reports of Workplace Violence

7.1 How to Report

Employees may report actual or threatened workplace violence, workplace-violence hazards, or near-misses by any of the following methods:

☐ Direct report to supervisor
☐ Report to Plan Administrator: [________________________________]
☐ Hotline: [________________________________]
☐ Secure email: [________________________________]
☐ Online portal: [________________________________]
☐ Anonymous submission (drop box located at [LOCATION])

7.2 Anti-Retaliation

No employee will be retaliated against for reporting workplace violence or a concern about it. Employees may report to the employer or law enforcement without fear of reprisal. California Labor Code § 6401.9(c)(2)(D), (F) requires these procedures; § 6310 separately protects covered safety complaints and related activity.

7.4 Plan Compliance and Communication

Supervisors will explain the Plan, observe the worksite, address unsafe practices, and document corrective coaching. Employees will receive the Plan and training, use the reporting channels, and follow applicable safety procedures. The Plan Administrator will review compliance during inspections and after reports; corrective steps will be recorded and applied consistently.

The reporting employee and affected employees will be told how the concern is being investigated and informed of the results and planned corrective action, subject to lawful confidentiality limits. Contact and status-update method: [________________________________].

7.3 Response Obligations

On receipt of a report, the Plan Administrator (or designee) will:

1. Acknowledge receipt in writing within [____] business days.
2. Take interim protective measures as warranted (separation of parties, security presence, access restrictions).
3. Open an investigation (see Section 8).
4. Communicate outcome to reporter and affected employees to the extent permitted by law.

8. Post-Incident Response and Investigation

8.1 Immediate Response

Alert method: [________________________________]. The alert will identify the presence, location, and nature of the emergency without exposing an employee to further danger. Person authorized to issue alert: [________________________________]. Backup method: [________________________________].

Evacuation route and assembly point: [________________________________]. Shelter location and securing procedure: [________________________________]. How to reach response staff, security, and law enforcement: [________________________________]. Include work-area-specific instructions in an attached site schedule.

☐ Ensure safety of employees and others (911, first aid, evacuation, shelter-in-place)
☐ Secure the scene; preserve evidence
☐ Contact law enforcement when required
☐ Notify Plan Administrator and senior management
☐ Provide access to employee assistance / trauma support

8.2 Investigation

A written investigation will be completed by the Plan Administrator (or investigator designated at [__________]). Investigation includes:

• Interviews with reporting employee, witnesses, and (when appropriate) the alleged aggressor
• Review of physical scene, video, access logs
• Root-cause analysis
• Written findings, employee communication, and corrective actions
• Update of the Violent Incident Log

Investigation records are maintained per Section 13.

9. Identification and Evaluation of Workplace-Violence Hazards

9.1 Initial Hazard Assessment

Completed on [__/__/____] by [________________________________]. Covered areas include:

9.2 Ongoing Inspections

Periodic inspections will occur:

• ☐ Monthly by [_______]
• ☐ After any reported incident or near-miss
• ☐ After any change in operations, staffing, physical layout, or security systems
• ☐ When a new or previously unrecognized hazard is identified

Inspect when the Plan is first established, after each workplace-violence incident, and when a new or previously unrecognized hazard comes to the employer's attention. Set a periodic inspection schedule by work area: [________________________________].

10. Correction of Workplace-Violence Hazards

Corrective actions are selected using the following hierarchy:

1. Engineering controls — physical barriers, controlled entry, panic buttons, video surveillance, improved lighting, cash-handling design
2. Work-practice controls — buddy systems, check-in protocols, de-escalation procedures, limits on solo work after hours
3. Administrative controls — staffing levels, scheduling, visitor management, signage
4. Personal safeguards and training — radios, duress devices, training refreshers

Each identified hazard is assigned a responsible person and a target correction date. Correction records are maintained in the Corrective Action Log.

11. Training

11.1 Initial Training

Train employees when the Plan is first established and at least annually thereafter. Train new employees on the Plan and hazards of their assigned work. Use content and vocabulary suited to employees' educational level, literacy, and language. Required topics include:

☐ The employer's Plan, how to obtain a copy, and how to participate in the Plan
☐ The definitions and requirements of Cal. Lab. Code § 6401.9
☐ How to report workplace-violence incidents or concerns, without fear of retaliation
☐ Workplace-violence hazards specific to the employees' jobs, corrective measures, how to seek assistance, and strategies to avoid physical harm
☐ The Violent Incident Log, its purpose, and how to obtain copies of records
☐ Opportunity for interactive questions and answers with a qualified trainer

11.2 Additional Training

Additional training is provided when:

• A new or previously unrecognized hazard is identified
• Changes are made to the Plan
• A new employee's assigned work exposes them to a Plan hazard not covered in their earlier training

11.3 Annual Refresher

All covered employees receive Plan training at least annually.

11.4 Trainer Qualifications

Trainers must have knowledge of workplace-violence hazards relevant to the employees' work and of the employer's Plan. Qualifications documentation retained.

12. Violent Incident Log

A log of every workplace-violence incident is maintained using information from affected employees, witnesses, and investigation findings. The log is retained at least 5 years and reviewed during periodic Plan reviews. Do not enter names, contact details, or other information that could identify incident participants, alone or together with public information; the statute separately requires the log preparer's name and job title. Keep the log separate from confidential investigation records.

Complete one entry per incident. Attach additional rows or a separate sheet when necessary.

13. Recordkeeping

The Division of Occupational Safety and Health may examine and copy all records listed above on request. Employees and their representatives may examine and copy hazard records, training records, and violent incident logs within 15 calendar days of request and without cost. The statute does not give them that same access rule for investigation records. The written Plan itself must remain easily accessible to employees, their authorized representatives, and Division representatives at all times.

Investigation records must omit medical information as defined in Civil Code § 56.05(j). Keep personal identifying information out of the violent incident log, even when medical information is absent.

14. Plan Review and Update

The Plan is reviewed at least annually. It is also reviewed and updated promptly after:

☐ Any workplace-violence incident
☐ A deficiency is observed or becomes apparent
☐ Any change in operations or worksite that affects workplace-violence hazards
☐ Issuance of a new or revised Cal/OSHA standard affecting workplace violence
☐ Request by employees or authorized representatives

Employees and authorized representatives participate actively in reviewing the Plan. Each review is documented in the Plan Review Log (Appendix A) with the date, reviewer, employee input, and any revisions made. The violent incident log is reviewed during periodic Plan reviews.

15. Communication of Plan and Availability

☐ Copy of the Plan is posted at [LOCATION]
☐ Copy is available on the employee portal at [URL]
☐ Paper copies available on request from the Plan Administrator
☐ Training materials are suited to the educational level, literacy, and language of the employees receiving them: [LANGUAGES]

16. Appendices

• Appendix A — Plan Review Log
• Appendix B — Corrective Action Log
• Appendix C — Violent Incident Log (template above in Section 12)
• Appendix D — Training Attendance Roster
• Appendix E — Hazard Assessment Checklists (by area)

Adoption and Execution

Adopted by [EMPLOYER NAME] as of the Effective Date above.

Employer Authorized Signatory:

Signature: [________________________________] Date: [__/__/____]
Printed Name: [________________________________]
Title: [________________________________]

Sources and References

• Cal. Lab. Code § 6401.9 — https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=LAB&sectionNum=6401.9.
• Cal. Lab. Code § 6401.7 — https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=LAB&sectionNum=6401.7.
• Cal. Lab. Code § 6310 — https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=LAB&sectionNum=6310.
• Cal/OSHA Model Workplace Violence Prevention Plan (General Industry) — https://www.dir.ca.gov/dosh/dosh_publications/Model-WPV-Plan-General-Industry.docx
• Cal/OSHA Workplace Violence Prevention portal — https://www.dir.ca.gov/dosh/Workplace-Violence/General-Industry.html

This template is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Have it reviewed by qualified counsel in your jurisdiction before use.