Many California employers worked hard over the past two years to comply with the state’s Workplace Violence Prevention requirements by developing written Workplace Violence Prevention Plans (WVPP), conducting hazard assessments, and training employees.
Unfortunately, compliance didn’t end once the plan was written.
The law requires employers to review their Workplace Violence Prevention Plan every year, update it when necessary, and provide employees with training on the current version of the plan. This is not a “check-the-box” requirement, it is an ongoing compliance obligation that Cal/OSHA expects employers to take seriously.
Annual Requirements Employers Shouldn’t Overlook
As part of your annual review, employers must evaluate whether their Workplace Violence Prevention Plan is effective and make revisions whenever workplace conditions, operations, or identified risks have changed.
Just as importantly, California law requires meaningful employee involvement in both the development and implementation of the plan. Employers must establish and document procedures for obtaining employee input regarding:
- Identifying, evaluating, and correcting workplace violence hazards
- Designing and improving workplace violence prevention training
- Reporting, investigating, and responding to workplace violence incidents
The process used to obtain employee participation must also be documented in your written Workplace Violence Prevention Plan.
Generic Training Is Not Enough
After reviewing and updating the plan, employers must retrain employees on their company’s specific Workplace Violence Prevention Plan.
Generic, off-the-shelf, or pre-recorded training that is not customized to your organization does not satisfy California’s requirements.
Training should address:
- Your organization’s written Workplace Violence Prevention Plan
- The specific workplace violence hazards present at each worksite
- The job duties and responsibilities of your employees
Employees should clearly understand not only what the plan says, but also how it applies to their day-to-day work.
How JorgensenHR Can Help
At JorgensenHR, we work with employers throughout California to ensure their Workplace Violence Prevention Plans remain compliant, practical, and up to date. Our consultants can review your existing plan, recommend necessary updates, assist with documenting employee involvement, and provide customized training designed specifically for your workplace, not a generic presentation.
If it has been a year since your Workplace Violence Prevention Plan was implemented or last reviewed, now is the ideal time to make sure your organization remains compliant before Cal/OSHA comes knocking.
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