On September 30, 2023, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 553 creating new workplace violence prevention standards in California. The law consists of the first general industry workplace violence prevention requirement in the United States. Under the law—specifically Labor Code Section 6401.9—California employers must implement workplace violence prevention plans tailored to their specific workplaces. By no later than July 1, 2024, employers must develop such plans as well as annual workplace violence prevention training, a violence incident log intended to record details of violent workplace incidents or threats, and procedures to respond to actual or potential workplace violence emergencies.
