California employers must meet 2025 workplace violence prevention requirements including yearly training, accessible plans, and detailed incident records. This article explains which employers are affected, what the plan must include, and the recordkeeping rules under Section 6401.9.
By Brad Nakase, Attorney
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Employers in California must adhere to new regulations aimed at preventing workplace violence by July 1, 2024. Section 6401.9 of the Labor Code says the majority of employers have to make a workplace violence prevention plan, ensure training is provided yearly, and maintain records.
Disclaimer: Do not see this material as legal guidance; it is only informational. Comply with both the Cal-OSHA and California Labor Code guidelines and talk to a lawyer if you have any problems unique to your situation.
Workplace violence occurs anytime individuals or property are threatened with violence, intimidated or harassed, or if disruptive, unwanted behaviors at work make someone afraid for their safety.
Already, state law requires every employer to have an IIPP, a program that acts like a WVPP. Like an IIPP helps employers plan to reduce and react to work injuries, the WVPP helps employers identify threats of violence and support when dealing with or stopping them. Even though architects are not at high risk for workplace violence, there are still certain hazards, and a WVPP will assist both employers and employees to be equipped.
All companies in California are subject to the current workplace violence prevention regulations, with the following exceptions:
Employers must create and carry out a plan to avoid workplace violence, which must include:
Employees must be able to quickly access the written plan. This implies that information does not necessarily need to be given to every employee, but at the very least it must be accessible to the more inquisitive staff members upon request. However, disseminating it to staff members or posting it on a company-wide system actually makes the plan “readily available” and aids in meeting the need for staff training on the plan.
While most architectural procedures would use a single overall plan for all work activities, the plan needs to be “tailored to the dangers and corrective actions for every work zone and operation.”
It can be added to an already-existing Injury and Illness Prevention Plan or used as a stand-alone strategy.
The four main categories of workplace violence must be evaluated in accordance with the law:
Employees must receive training from covered businesses when they create a plan to avoid workplace violence, and they must receive it annually after that. The following topics must be covered in training, along with interactive elements for Q&A:
A company can fulfill the first training requirement after developing a plan by convening a meeting to go over the plan’s main components.
The following documents must be kept by covered employers:
1. Record of Violent Incidents
A record of incidents that includes the what, when, where, and how of a violent incident—but not the “who”—must be kept by employers. There shouldn’t be any personally identifiable information in the log. The incident’s specifics, the Cal-OSHA category (type 1-4), the cause of the violence, the fallout, and the actions taken to safeguard workers against the risk reoccurring are all intended to be documented. One of the reasons a violent event log is intended to be individually anonymous is that employees might request a copy of it.
2. Inspection of Documents
Employers who fail to preserve these records may be subject to citations from Cal-OSHA, which has the authority to inspect them. On request, workers can also examine certain documents, such as logs of violent incidents, training records, and danger identification and assessment.
Employers must review the workplace violence prevention plan in California every year, just like they would with an IIPP. Employers are also required by law to examine the plan following an instance of workplace violence and if they notice any deficiencies.
On the Department of Industrial Relations website, employers can find an overview of Cal/OSHA’s new workplace prevention regulations as well as a model drafted Workplace Violence Prevention Plan in California that serves as an overall guide.
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