Required vs. Necessary | SB553 and Workplace Violence in California
"Going Postal"
It was a term people previously used when they were frustrated at work, signaling the approach of a breaking point and, likely, an impulsive reaction. As blasé as that term was used, the term originated from a 1986 incident when a 44-year-old postal worker shot and killed 14 co-workers and injured 6 others.
Since then, sadly, active shooter scenarios have become a regular part of our culture. The most recent recorded data shows an increase of around 5,000% from the beginning of the millennium. Although active shooter scenarios gain the most attention, they are only a small fraction of workplace violence.
How would you and your team react to an active shooter?
How would you react to an employee who verbally attacks another employee?
What if the family member of a co-worker assaulted them in front of you?
These are all real possibilities, in fact, millions of workers each year are involved in workplace violence incidents. It's only fair that you and your team know how to effectively respond to protect yourselves and others. Better yet, what if you had the skills to de-escalate and even prevent these situations from occurring?
The State of California Department of Industrial Relations states that "according to the latest data, in 2021, 57 working people died from acts of workplace violence in California. In the United States, an average of 1.3 million nonfatal violent crimes in the workplace occurred annually from 2015 to 2019".
This led to the proposal of Senate Bill 553. This legislation, which passed in 2023, has mandated that all California employers with 10 or more employees create a Workplace Violence Prevention Program that includes, among other elements, a workplace violence risk assessment, written plan, employee training, a means for employee reporting and record-keeping requirements - including a violent incident log. The combination of these elements is meant to educate staff and management on the who, what, where, why, and how workplace violence may occur and how to prevent it. This can be a tough conversation between coworkers.
Ask yourself the following questions:
What are the hazards in your workplace?
Who's the most vulnerable?
What are the corrective steps you can take to minimize that hazard?
How do we notify others of violence at the workplace?
What resources are there for employees dealing with stressors that may prevent violent behavior?
If you and your team have not figured this out, now is the perfect time to do it.
Yes, the CA mandate is coming July 1st, but mandate aside, don't you believe, at a time where the term "going postal" has been around for almost 40 years, this is a necessary discussion and powerful skill?
If you don't know where to start, we can help. At Vigilant EHS Solutions, we offer comprehensive workplace violence prevention solutions tailored to meet the unique needs of your business. We're happy to answer your questions and talk about how our tools can get you educated, prepared, and least of all compliant, whether before or after July 1st.
Click here to learn more about how we can help your workplace and get started on your workplace violence prevention plan today.