Requirement guide · California
California SB 553 workplace violence training requirements
Who needs it, what it must cover, how often, and what records to keep. Based on California Labor Code section 6401.9, added by SB 553 and in force since 1 July 2024.
The short answer
- Who
- Employees of almost every California employer, unless their workplace falls under one of the exemptions in 6401.9(b)(2)
- When
- When the workplace violence prevention plan is first established, then annually, plus extra training for new hazards or plan changes
- What
- Six required topics, listed in 6401.9(e)(2)(A) to (F)
- How
- Effective training in content and vocabulary suited to employees' education, literacy and language, with interactive Q&A with someone who knows your plan
- Records
- Keep training records for at least 1 year; the violent incident log and hazard and investigation records for at least 5 years
Who needs the training
Section 6401.9 applies to "all employers, employees, places of employment, and employer-provided housing" in California, unless an exemption in subdivision (b)(2) applies. It is not limited to high-risk industries: offices, shops, warehouses, restaurants and hotels are all in scope.
The exemptions are:
- Health care facilities, service categories and operations covered by the Cal/OSHA health care workplace violence standard (8 CCR 3342), and employers that comply with 3342
- Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation facilities that comply with 8 CCR 3203
- Certain law enforcement agencies that meet the POST Program conditions, if all their facilities comply with 8 CCR 3203
- Employees teleworking from a location of their choice that the employer does not control
- Places with fewer than 10 employees working there at any given time that are not accessible to the public, if they comply with 8 CCR 3203
Cal/OSHA can still order an exempt employer, or an exempt workplace, to comply (6401.9(b)(3)). Every covered employer must have a written workplace violence prevention plan, and the training is part of that plan.
What the training must cover
Subdivision (e)(2) lists six topics. In plain English, training must cover:
- Your plan, how to get a copy at no cost, and how to take part in developing and running it
- The definitions and requirements of section 6401.9, including the four types of workplace violence
- How to report workplace violence incidents or concerns to the employer or law enforcement without fear of reprisal
- The hazards specific to employees' jobs, the corrective measures in place, how to get help to prevent or respond to violence, and strategies to avoid physical harm
- The violent incident log, and how to get copies of the hazard, training and log records
- An opportunity for interactive questions and answers with a person knowledgeable about your plan
The four types in 6401.9(a)(6) are: Type 1, by someone with no legitimate business at the worksite (for example a robber); Type 2, by customers, clients, patients, students, inmates or visitors; Type 3, by a present or former employee, supervisor or manager; and Type 4, by someone who does not work there but has or had a personal relationship with an employee.
How often
Employees get initial training when the plan is first established, and annually after that (6401.9(e)(2)).
Additional training is required when a new or previously unrecognised workplace violence hazard is identified, and when the plan changes. That extra training can be limited to the new hazard or the change (6401.9(e)(3)).
How it can be delivered
The statute requires "effective training" using material "appropriate in content and vocabulary to the educational level, literacy, and language of employees" (6401.9(e)(1)). If some of your staff work best in another language, the material has to work for them too.
The law does not say training must be classroom-based, and it does not ban online training. But it does require an opportunity for interactive questions and answers with a person knowledgeable about the employer's plan. A self-paced course on its own does not provide that. Pair it with a live session, or a way to reach a knowledgeable person while employees are training.
Because the training must cover your own plan, your job-specific hazards and your controls, a generic course needs your site details added before it meets the requirement.
Who can deliver it
Section 6401.9 does not set a trainer certification. The person answering questions must be knowledgeable about your plan, so in practice it is often the plan administrator or someone who helped write it. The training record must list the names and qualifications of the people who conducted the training.
The plan itself must include procedures to involve employees and their representatives in designing and implementing the training (6401.9(c)(2)(B)).
What records to keep
Training records must be kept for at least one year. Each record needs the training dates, the contents or a summary of the sessions, the names and qualifications of the trainers, and the names and job titles of everyone who attended (6401.9(f)(2)).
Other records have a longer minimum of five years: hazard identification, evaluation and correction records, the violent incident log, and incident investigation records (6401.9(f)(1), (3) and (4)).
The violent incident log records every workplace violence incident, with details such as the date, time and location, the violence type, a description, and the consequences. It must leave out personal identifying information such as names, addresses and phone numbers (6401.9(d)).
Employees and their representatives can ask to examine and copy the hazard, training and log records free of charge, and you must make them available within 15 calendar days of the request (6401.9(f)(6)).
Is a Cal/OSHA standard coming?
Yes. Subdivision (h) required Cal/OSHA to propose a standard by 31 December 2025 and the Standards Board to adopt one by 31 December 2026, including at least the requirements of section 6401.9. Until a standard is adopted and in effect, the statute sets the rules. Check the Cal/OSHA workplace violence pages for the current status.