July 1, 2025, marked a milestone: the one‑year anniversary of California’s Workplace Violence Prevention Law (SB 553). With the foundational work behind you, this anniversary isn’t just a celebratory marker—it’s a critical compliance checkpoint. If you haven’t completed your mandatory annual review and retraining, now is the time to prioritize those steps. Implementing SB 553 took significant effort for many businesses last year. The one-year anniversary is a required checkpoint to evaluate: has your company reviewed its plan and retrained to ensure it’s still effective?
What Must Employers Do Now (Even If Nothing Changed)?
Even if your Workplace Violence Prevention Plan (WVPP) wasn’t modified this past year, two essential obligations remain:
- Annual Plan Review – You must evaluate the plan’s effectiveness. Engage employees or their representatives in identifying gaps, reviewing incidents, and confirming that protocols are accessible and followed. If any shortcomings appear, update your WVPP accordingly.
Employee Involvement Matters: SB 553 emphasizes the role of employees in the review process, not just leadership. Employees are on the front lines and can provide insights into hazards or reporting challenges that may otherwise go unnoticed.
- Annual Retraining – Every employee must be retrained on the WVPP, even if it’s unchanged. Training must align with employees’ literacy, language, and job-specific risk levels. It should cover plan access, incident reporting (without retaliation), hazard awareness, logging procedures, and interactive Q&A time with a knowledgeable presenter.
Making Retraining Engaging: Annual training is most effective when it’s more than a presentation of rules. Employers can boost participation and retention by incorporating scenario-based activities, or offering real examples of reporting processes. Using e-learning modules for flexibility or pairing digital tools with in-person Q&A sessions can also help ensure the content is accessible and meaningful. An engaged workforce is more likely to recognize risks and take prevention seriously.
Critical Compliance Must Haves
To stay on solid footing—especially in case of a Cal/OSHA inspection—make sure you’re maintaining:
- Hazard identification, evaluation, and correction records (≥ 5 years)
- Employee training documentation (≥ 1 year)
- Violent incident logs (≥ 5 years)
- Investigation records (≥ 5 years; free of medical information)
Beyond Compliance: Why Annual Activity Matters
Even with no incidents, your review and retraining process plays a vital role in reinforcing culture, verifying accessibility, and ensuring that reporting systems are effective. It’s also a valuable opportunity to gather insights, such as incident trends by type, location, or trigger, to refine your plan and training.
Need Help? Allevity Can Support You
At Allevity, our team partners with employers to simplify compliance, provide clarity, and support a safer workplace for everyone. Whether you’re reviewing your plan, considering training updates, or simply unsure where to start, we’re here to help guide you with solutions tailored to your business needs.
Reach out for a discussion today. Let Allevity help you maintain compliance and elevate workplace safety as a strategic advantage. Call us at 530-345-2486 or visit allevity.com/contact.