Main Requirements for Your Written Workplace Violence Prevention Plan

The plan must always be in effect in all work areas and be specific to the hazards and corrective measures for each work area and operation. To see all plan requirements for Workplace Violence Prevention for California businesses, please see Labor Code sections 6401.7 and 6401.9 and review the Cal/OSHA webpage.

Responsible Person(s) – Name/Job Title of the Person Responsible for Implementing the Plan

Effective Procedures for Involving Employees – Procedures for how the company will involve employees in the development and implementation of the plan.

Coordination with Other Employers (when applicable) – Methods that will be used to coordinate implementation of the plan with other employers when applicable and methods to ensure all employees on the site are trained on the plan’s details.

Reporting and Response Procedures – Procedures for the employer to accept and respond to reports of workplace violence, and to prohibit retaliation against an employee who makes such a report.

Procedures for Ensuring Compliance – Procedures that establish expectations of employees and supervisors for complying with the plan.

Communication – Description of how the employer will communicate with employees regarding workplace violence matters, including how an employee can report an incident, how employee concerns will be investigated, and how employers will inform employees of the outcome of the investigation.

Emergency Response Procedures – Effective response procedures in the event of an actual or potential workplace violence emergency, including evacuation or sheltering plans; how to get help from staff members assigned to respond; and how and when to contact law enforcement. A method for alerting employees of the presence, location, and nature of workplace emergencies.

Training – Procedures to develop and provide training that covers the employer’s written plan, definitions and requirements in Labor code section 6401.9, how to report workplace violence incidents, the job-specific violence hazards and preventative measures, and the purpose of the violent incident log and how to access related records. Training should allow the opportunity for interactive discussion with someone knowledgeable about the plan.

• Employees need initial training, annual refresher training, and training after incidents occur or when the plan is updated.

Identification and Evaluation of Hazards – Procedures to identify and evaluate workplace violence hazards through scheduled periodic inspections and additional inspections following violent incidents and when made aware of new or previously unrecognized hazards.

Hazard Correction – Process for correcting workplace violence hazards in a timely manner after they are identified.

Post Incident Response and Investigation – Procedures for post incident response and investigation by collecting information as soon as possible to determine the cause of the incident, identify what actions need to be taken to prevent similar accidents from occurring, keeping all records with information about the incident, and providing support and resources for employees when necessary.

Recordkeeping Procedures – Plan accessibility for employees, their representatives, and Cal/OSHA representatives. Additional records must be kept for:

• Hazard identification, evaluation, and corrections must be documented and maintained for a minimum of 5 years.
• Training records must be maintained for a minimum of 1 year.
• Violent incident logs must be maintained for a minimum of 5 years.
• Workplace violence incident investigations must be maintained for a minimum of 5 years.

Program Review and Updating – Plan review annually, when deficiencies become apparent, and after a workplace violence incident.