Plain-English guides to California's workplace violence prevention law
Written for owners and office managers — not compliance professionals. Every guide is dated, checked against the statute text of Labor Code §6401.9, and kept current.
Does SB 553 apply to my business? Every exemption, explained in plain English
The default rule is that you're covered. The four narrow exceptions — small non-public worksites, employee-chosen telework, healthcare under the hospital standard, law enforcement — and the edge cases that trip people up.
ChecklistSB 553 compliance checklist: the 7 records every California employer needs
What an inspector actually asks to see: the written plan, training records, the violent incident log, hazard and investigation records — with the retention period and access deadline for each.
ReferenceThe SB 553 violent incident log: every required field, explained
Field-by-field requirements, the four workplace violence types, why names stay out of the log, the five-year retention rule, and the 15-day employee access deadline.
EnforcementSB 553 penalties: what non-compliance actually costs
The actual numbers from Cal/OSHA's current penalty schedule — sourced and dated — plus how citations are classified, what drives the final amount, and the exposure beyond fines.
Interactive checkerDoes SB 553 apply to you? The 60-second coverage checker
Six plain-English questions about one worksite — public access, headcount, telework, the healthcare standard — and a clear read with the reasoning shown, not just a verdict.
The written planHow to fill out Cal/OSHA's model WVPP, section by section
The free template covers the law's required elements — if you fill it out right. What each section is asking for, what "site-specific" means, and the five blanks that get employers cited.
TrainingSB 553 training requirements: who, what, and how often
Initial and annual training for every employee, all the required topics, the interactive Q&A rule, triggered retraining, and the one-year record retention rule.