SB 553 Overview
On September 30, 2023, Governor Newsom signed into law SB 553, also known as the Workplace Violence Prevention Act. SB 553 requires employers to establish, implement, and maintain an effective workplace violence prevention plan.
Key elements of implementing a compliant SB 553 Workplace Violence Prevention Program include the following:
-
Comprehensive plan development with employee participation
-
Reporting procedures
-
Investigation management
-
Training
-
Detailed record-keeping
To assist with SB 553 compliance Merrill Herzog has created some simple solutions for employers that will enable them to not only comply with the law, but most importantly help to protect lives.
Compliance Deadline
Employers have until July 1, 2024 to comply.
What Employers are Exempt?
Senate Bill 553 applies to all employers, employees and places of employment except:
-
Employees teleworking from a location of the employee’s choice that is not under the control of the employer.
-
Employment locations with less than 10 employees working at any given time and that are not accessible to the public.
-
Employers covered under the violence in health care section of the California Code of Regulations.
-
Facilities operated by the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation and law enforcement agencies.
Active Assailant and Workplace Violence Insurance
While not a requirement of SB553, it is recommended that businesses have a Workplace Violence / Active Assailant insurance policy in place to better protect their employees, patrons, and business from active assailant risks, threats, and attacks. Active assailant policies like Samphire's Protect Safeguard that assist businesses with both prevention and response. Samphire's Protect Safeguard insured events include:
-
Attack - Involving the use of a weapon, the definition of which is very broad to capture most scenarios. The attack does not need to be ideologically motivated or carried out in the name of a cause.
-
Threat - Malicious threats made against insured people or property.
-
Stalking Threat - Unwanted obsessive attention that puts an insured person in fear or concern for their safety at their place of work.
As an added benefit of these policies and depending on the size of the program in question, Samphire can offer within the insurance solution access to risk management allowances that assist the policyholder to invest in risk mitigation services and advice from Merrill Herzog.