Understanding Workplace Violence Prevention

What Businesses Need to Know to Protect the Workplace

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California implemented its new Workplace Violence Prevention (WPV) Act on 01 July 2025. The law, commonly referred to as Senate Bill 553, was signed in late 2023 and establishes a broad set of regulations for businesses. This law takes a comprehensive view of WVP and requires compliance for on a broad a wide range of companies within the state, including companies with less than ten employees.

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As WVP laws evolve, there will be an impetus to use California’s law as a model, as California maintains its role as a trendsetter in regulatory policy for the business world. Recently, Virginia and New York also passed new legislation on WVP, joining a group of 27 states that are leading the nation on the issue.

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The changing legal landscape will likely spur companies across the country to rapidly develop a WVPP (workplace violence prevention plan) to comply with these new laws and avoid the consequences of infractions. If policy enforcement is based on the new California law, non-compliance could incur fines up to $100,000 or more.

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It is crucial that companies ensure that their WVPP is not simply a box-checking exercise to avoid fines. Companies should take their plans seriously, creating a holistic and comprehensive WVPP that both complies with legislation and helps keep employees safe. To achieve this, companies should seek to preemptively address some of the most commonly difficult aspects of WVPPs.

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Incident Reporting

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Incident reporting is a key area as required in recent legislation. Resolving disputes in the workplace can be difficult, even for seemingly small issues. Creating a mechanism to report issues that may lead to or involve instances of workplace violence could prove to be challenging given the uncomfortable nature of workplace violence.

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New WVP laws like SB 553, include occurrences between coworkers and other people with relationships to employees, and do not differentiate between the various types of incidents that could occur. A WVPP should ensure that every event is reported in the same manner, and that every employee has been informed of the process and how it works.

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Investigating Incidents

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Another area is investigating incidents. Companies may struggle to find a suitable investigative method given the severity of the subject. Dealing with a delicate issue that may involve conflict between coworkers could discourage companies from taking the necessary steps to thoroughly investigate and resolve the issue.

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Bias and distress can easily come into play when dealing with conflicts between coworkers, but WVP requires an unbiased and dedicated investigation to ensure that all employees are safe, and any violations of policy are addressed appropriately.

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Internal Communication

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Lastly, communication is critical when implementing a WVPP. A key component of legislated WVPP is that the plan, including reporting requirements and procedures, is communicated to the entire workforce. Large companies may find it difficult to ensure that all branches and every level of an organization are brought up to speed with the policies and training related to the plan.

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Alternatively, smaller companies may lack the resources and experience to ensure that their organization can develop a plan that addresses all the necessary conditions. Disconnects between managers, employees, and HR can put an undue burden of responsibility on any one part of the company if the reporting process and procedures are not created and communicated.

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These issues —reporting, investigating, communicating— need to be mitigated to ensure that WVPPs reflect the legal standards that are likely to spread from the  California, Virginia, and New York laws. Some common themes that run through these issues are bias, inexperience, and lack of resources. In order to address these areas, a specialized team dedicated to workplace violence prevention, reporting, and investigation can transform a company’s box-checking exercise into a comprehensive WVPP.

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This dedicated team provides stakeholders within a company best practices and ways to incorporate the requirements to also fit a company's culture. This team can also work with the organization to develop training materials to the entirety of the company, ensuring as much consistency as possible.

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Finally, a specialized team can also bring in added benefits such as fostering relationships with law enforcement, which may be necessary to respond to incidents, and keeping up with changing laws and regulations related to WVPP.

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Address the Growing Threat of Workplace Violence

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California’s SB 553 is reshaping how organizations address workplace violence. To help you stay compliant and prepared, Red5 Security has partnered with Behavioral Science Applications LLC (BSA) to deliver customized, evidence-based solutions that go beyond a checklist.

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Whether you're building a Workplace Violence Prevention Plan (WVPP) from scratch or fine-tuning an existing one, our experts work with you to identify gaps, enhance protections, and build a more resilient workplace.

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Book a consultation to access proactive risk management from trusted industry leaders and safeguard your organization against workplace violence threats.

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Author Chad Kunkle