Workplace Violence Is a Risk Every Employer Should Be Prepared For
When we talk about workplace safety, the conversation usually goes to the things we can easily see such as slips, falls, equipment, ergonomic injuries, or other physical hazards.
Workplace Violence is another risk employers need to be thinking about and ensure is outlined in their 2027 employee handbook.
It’s sometimes an uncomfortable topic to discuss, and probably not one most business owners want to spend their time thinking about. But workplace violence can happen in any type of workplace, including a remote environment, and employers are increasingly being expected to have a plan for preventing, responding to, and documenting these situations.
California’s SB 553 brought workplace violence prevention into the spotlight formally requiring most employers to establish, implement, and maintain a written Workplace Violence Prevention Plan (WVPP), provide employee training, maintain a violent incident log, and take other steps to identify and address workplace violence hazards. The requirements have been enforceable since July 1, 2024.
But California isn’t alone. Nine states have enacted workplace violence prevention requirements specifically addressing healthcare and/or social assistance employers: California, Connecticut, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, and Washington. The requirements and covered employers vary significantly from state to state.
New York has also expanded requirements beyond healthcare. Its Retail Worker Safety Act applies to employers with 10 or more retail employees and requires a workplace violence prevention policy and employee training.
And in New York, public employers have separate workplace violence prevention requirements, including risk evaluations, employee training, incident reporting, and written prevention programs for public employers with 20 or more full-time employees.
The takeaway? Workplace violence prevention is becoming an increasingly important part of workplace safety and employers shouldn't assume it only applies to hospitals or large organizations.
What Does a Workplace Violence Prevention Plan Actually Cover?
A good workplace violence prevention plan isn't a generic safety memo that gets written once and then buried in a shared drive. It should be a practical, living plan that reflects how your business actually operates. Depending on your industry, location, and applicable state requirements, that may include:
A written plan.
Your plan should identify the workplace violence risks specific to your organization, who is responsible for implementing the plan, how employees can report concerns, and what employees and managers should do before, during, and after an incident. A single-location office will have very different considerations than a business with multiple locations, field employees, public-facing staff, or employees working alone. This written plan can be a standalone document, or live within an employee handbook.
Employee training.
Employees should know what workplace violence can look like, how to recognize potential warning signs, how to de-escalate a situation when appropriate, how to report concerns, and what to do in an emergency. Training requirements vary by state and industry, so it's important to understand what applies to your workforce.
Incident reporting and documentation.
A good system should make it easy to report threats, intimidation, physical altercations, or other concerning behavior and should give the company a way to document what happened and how it was addressed. Documentation can help identify patterns and recurring risks.
Clear reporting procedures.
Employees need to know exactly who to contact and what to do when something doesn't feel right. If the process is complicated, unclear, or difficult to access, employees are less likely to use it.
Regular review.
Your workplace, people, locations, customers, and operations change. Your workplace violence plan should change with them. California, for example, requires ongoing review and maintenance of the plan and its records.
Which States Have Workplace Violence Prevention Requirements?
This is where things can get a little complicated because there isn't one nationwide standard that applies equally to every employer.
At the state level, workplace violence prevention requirements currently exist in a number of states, but the scope varies considerably:
California — Broad requirements covering most employers, with specific exceptions, including a written Workplace Violence Prevention Plan, training, incident logs, and recordkeeping.
Connecticut — Requirements apply primarily to certain healthcare and other covered facilities, with workplace violence prevention program requirements tied to the covered setting.
Illinois — Requirements apply to certain mental health and developmental disability facilities.
Maine — Requirements apply to hospitals.
Maryland — Requirements apply to certain hospitals, residential facilities, and larger nursing homes.
New Jersey — Requirements apply to hospitals and nursing homes.
New York — Requirements apply to public employers, certain healthcare settings, and, under the Retail Worker Safety Act, employers with 10 or more retail employees.
Oregon — Requirements apply to certain healthcare settings, including hospitals, ambulatory surgical centers, and home healthcare services.
Washington — Requirements apply to certain healthcare and social service settings, including hospitals, home health, hospice, home care agencies, and community mental health programs.
The important distinction is that having a workplace violence requirement doesn't necessarily mean every employer in that state has to maintain the same type of plan. Coverage depends on the state, industry, size of the employer, and sometimes whether the employer is public or private.
Even where there isn't a specific state workplace violence prevention standard, federal OSHA's General Duty Clause requires employers to provide a workplace free from recognized hazards that are causing or likely to cause death or serious physical harm. OSHA specifically identifies workplace violence as a hazard employers may need to address when they are aware of threats, intimidation, or other indicators of risk.
Where Do Small Businesses Usually Go Wrong?
The biggest mistake isn't necessarily ignoring workplace violence altogether. It's treating prevention as a one time project that you set then forget. Training happens once during onboarding and never again. Employees aren't sure who to contact when they have a concern. Incidents aren't consistently documented. And no one is clearly responsible for keeping the plan current.
Another common mistake is downloading a generic template and calling it done. We’ve seen this time and time again cause long term concerns, where an employer thought they were doing the right thing but did not have the correct requirements in place.
A template can be a starting point, but a plan that doesn't reflect your actual workplace, employees, locations, customers, and risks isn't going to be very useful when you actually need it.
The goal isn't to have a binder on a shelf. The goal is to have a plan your people actually understand and can use.
How Rising Tide HR Can Help
This is exactly the kind of work where having an experienced HR partner can make a big difference. At Rising Tide HR, we help small and mid-size businesses build workplace violence prevention programs that are practical, tailored to their operations, and designed to be something their teams can actually use.
That can include:
Custom Written Plan
Developing a workplace violence prevention plan based on your industry, locations, workforce, and applicable requirements.
Employee Training
Helping you establish initial and ongoing training so employees understand how to recognize, report, and respond to potential workplace violence.
Incident Log & Reporting System
Creating a simple process for documenting incidents and concerns so managers aren't trying to figure it out in the middle of a crisis.
Risk & Plan Review
Reviewing your existing plan, identifying gaps, and helping keep it current as your business changes.
Ongoing HR Support
Because having a plan is only part of the equation. When something actually happens, you need someone who can help you navigate the situation, document it appropriately, communicate with employees, and determine next steps.
Whether you're starting from scratch, expanding into a new state, or simply want someone to take a second look at the plan you already have, Rising Tide HR can help you put something practical in place that protects your people and supports your business.
Ready to take a closer look at your workplace violence prevention plan? Schedule a free HR consultation with Rising Tide HR and let's build a plan that actually fits your team.
