# What Is SB 553? A Complete Guide for California Employers

Source: https://compliantca.com/guides/what-is-sb-553/
Published: 2026-04-05
Updated: 2026-08-19
Publisher: CompliantCA — not a law firm; this is not legal advice.

California Senate Bill 553 is a workplace violence prevention law that took effect on **July 1, 2024**. It requires virtually every California employer to maintain a written Workplace Violence Prevention Plan (WVPP), log all workplace violence incidents, and train employees annually. The requirements live in [Labor Code §6401.9](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=LAB&sectionNum=6401.9).

If you have 10 or more employees in California — or your workplace is accessible to the public — this law applies to you. Cal/OSHA enforces it the way it enforces its other standards: through inspections and citations.

This guide explains what SB 553 requires, who must comply, and where to start.


## Why Does SB 553 Exist? {#why-sb-553-exists}

California already required healthcare employers to have workplace violence prevention plans under Title 8 §3342. SB 553 extends the requirement to **general industry**.

The law defines four types of workplace violence:

1. **Type 1 — Criminal intent:** The perpetrator has no legitimate relationship to the business (e.g., robbery, trespassing)
2. **Type 2 — Customer/client:** The perpetrator is a customer, patient, or someone receiving services
3. **Type 3 — Worker-on-worker:** The perpetrator is a current or former employee
4. **Type 4 — Personal relationship:** The perpetrator has a personal relationship with an employee (e.g., domestic violence that follows someone to work)

The definitions matter because the rest of the law is built on them: your hazard assessment, your incident log entries, and your training all classify events by these types.

## Who Must Comply with SB 553? {#who-must-comply}

**Almost every California employer.** The law covers all employers, and §6401.9(b) lists the exceptions:

- Healthcare facilities already covered by Cal/OSHA's healthcare workplace violence standard (§3342)
- Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation facilities, and certain law enforcement agencies, that comply with §3203
- Employees teleworking from a location of their own choice that is not under the employer's control
- Workplaces with **fewer than 10 employees working at the place at any given time** that are **not accessible to the public**, and that comply with §3203

Note what the small-business exception requires: both the headcount condition *and* no public access. A five-person shop that customers walk into is covered. If you're unsure, read subdivision (b) — the list is short and specific.

## The Three Requirements of SB 553 {#three-requirements}

SB 553 requires three things from every covered employer:

### 1. A Written Workplace Violence Prevention Plan (WVPP)

This is the core requirement. §6401.9(c)(1) requires the plan to be **in writing**, **available and easily accessible to employees at all times**, **in effect at all times**, and **specific to the hazards and corrective measures for each work area and operation**. It may be a stand-alone section inside your existing Injury and Illness Prevention Program or a separate document.

§6401.9(c)(2) lists the required contents as subparagraphs **(A) through (M)**:

1. Names or job titles of the people responsible for implementing the plan
2. Procedures for the active involvement of employees in developing and implementing the plan
3. Methods for coordinating with other employers at shared worksites
4. Procedures for accepting and responding to reports of workplace violence, prohibiting retaliation against reporting employees
5. Procedures to ensure employees comply with the plan
6. Procedures to communicate with employees about workplace violence hazards
7. Procedures to respond to actual or potential workplace violence emergencies
8. Procedures to develop and provide the required training
9. Procedures to identify and evaluate workplace violence hazards
10. Procedures to correct identified hazards
11. Procedures for post-incident response and investigation
12. Procedures to review the plan's effectiveness — at least annually, and after incidents and deficiencies
13. Anything else the division requires as necessary and appropriate to protect employee health and safety

For a detailed walkthrough, see our [SB 553 Compliance Requirements guide](/guides/sb-553-compliance-requirements/).

### 2. A Violent Incident Log

Every workplace violence incident must be recorded in a log — separate from your OSHA 300 Log. This includes **threats, not just physical assaults**. Even incidents that don't result in injury must be logged.

§6401.9(d) lists what each entry records: the date, time, and location; the violence type or types; a detailed description; a classification of who committed the violence; classifications of the circumstances and of where it occurred; the type of incident; the consequences — including whether security or law enforcement was contacted and their response, and actions taken to protect employees from a continuing threat; and who completed the log entry.

**Important:** The log must *omit* personal identifying information sufficient to identify anyone involved. Logs must be retained for **5 years** and provided to employees or their representatives within **15 calendar days** of a request.

**Free Violent Incident Log template.** One entry page per incident, with every field §6401.9(d)(2) lists — the type checkboxes, the classification checklists, and the no-identifying-information rule on the cover. PDF, no account.
[Request the log template →](/request/violent-incident-log/?from=what-is-sb-553)
{: .callout }

### 3. Annual Employee Training

Covered employees must be trained when the plan is first established and **annually thereafter**. §6401.9(e)(2) lists the required content in six lettered items: the plan itself and how to obtain and participate in it, the definitions and requirements of the law, how to report incidents without fear of reprisal, the hazards specific to the employees' jobs and the corrective measures taken, the violent incident log and how to obtain the records the employer must keep, and an opportunity for interactive questions and answers with someone knowledgeable about the plan.

The interactive component is its own required item — a self-paced video with no way to ask questions does not provide it. Additional training is required under (e)(3) when a new hazard is identified or the plan changes. See our [SB 553 training requirements guide](/guides/sb-553-training-requirements/) for the full breakdown.

## What Happens If You Don't Comply? {#penalties}

Cal/OSHA enforces SB 553 through workplace inspections, which can follow an employee complaint, a reported incident, or a routine visit. A gap in any of the three requirements — the plan, the log, or the training — is a gap in its own right; each requirement stands on its own.

Penalty amounts are set by the Labor Code and adjusted annually. Cal/OSHA publishes current figures on its [Citation Statistics page](https://www.dir.ca.gov/dosh/Citation-statistics.html) — check the live page rather than trusting a dollar amount from an article, including this one.

## Common Mistakes Employers Make {#common-mistakes}

### “I thought my harassment policy covered this”

A handbook policy prohibiting workplace violence is **not** a WVPP. §6401.9(c)(2) lists thirteen required components, from emergency response procedures to training procedures to an annual effectiveness review. A policy statement contains none of that. The plan may live inside your IIPP — it doesn't have to be a separate binder — but the contents are not optional.

### “I created a plan last year and haven't touched it”

§6401.9(c)(2)(L) requires reviewing the plan's effectiveness at least annually, and also when a deficiency shows up or after an incident. Record the review even when nothing changed — an unrecorded review can't be shown.

### “I used a free template from the internet”

§6401.9(c)(1) requires the plan to be specific to the hazards and corrective measures for each work area and operation. A template with the blanks unfilled is, by the statute's own definition, not yet a plan. Start from [Cal/OSHA's free model plan](https://www.dir.ca.gov/dosh/dosh_publications/Model-WPV-Plan-General-Industry.docx) — our [template walkthrough](/guides/workplace-violence-prevention-plan-template/) covers how to fill in every section.

## What's Coming: The Proposed Permanent Standard {#permanent-standard}

SB 553 wrote its requirements directly into the Labor Code and directed Cal/OSHA to develop a full regulation — proposed **§3343** — which is [in rulemaking now](https://www.dir.ca.gov/dosh/doshreg/Workplace-Violence-in-General-Industry/). Until a regulation is adopted, the Labor Code requirements described on this page are what applies.

A proposed standard can change before adoption, so treat drafts as drafts. Employers already meeting the Labor Code requirements are working from the same foundation the regulation builds on.

The rulemaking is now in its final stretch — the Standards Board must adopt a standard by December 31, 2026. Our [guide to the proposed §3343](/guides/sb-553-permanent-standard/) tracks each draft and lays out what the current one would change, verified against the draft text.

## How to Get Compliant {#getting-compliant}

Getting started with SB 553 means three things:

1. **Create your WVPP** — a written plan with the (A) through (M) contents, specific to your workplace. Start from Cal/OSHA's model plan and our [section-by-section walkthrough](/guides/workplace-violence-prevention-plan-template/).
2. **Set up your Violent Incident Log** — a system to record incidents as they happen, with 5-year retention.
3. **Train your employees** — annually, on the §6401.9(e)(2) content, with a real opportunity for questions.

Then keep it all current: annual plan reviews, annual retraining, ongoing incident logging, and records you can produce within 15 calendar days of a request.

CompliantCA is building the operating layer for exactly this kind of program — the records, reminders, and exports that show a plan is running, not just written. The plan document itself you can have this week, free, from Cal/OSHA's own template.

## Sources & References {#sources}

- [Labor Code §6401.9](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=LAB&sectionNum=6401.9) — the operative statute
- [SB 553 Full Text](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202320240SB553) — California Legislature
- [Workplace Violence Prevention in General Industry](https://www.dir.ca.gov/dosh/Workplace-Violence/General-Industry.html) — Cal/OSHA
- [Proposed Section 3343, Title 8, California Code of Regulations (Rulemaking)](https://www.dir.ca.gov/dosh/doshreg/Workplace-Violence-in-General-Industry/) — Cal/OSHA Standards Board
- [Model Workplace Violence Prevention Plan (Template)](https://www.dir.ca.gov/dosh/dosh_publications/Model-WPV-Plan-General-Industry.docx) — Cal/OSHA

## Frequently asked questions

### Who must comply with SB 553?

Nearly every California employer. Labor Code §6401.9(b) lists the exceptions: healthcare facilities covered by Cal/OSHA's §3342 standard, Department of Corrections facilities and certain law enforcement agencies that comply with §3203, employees teleworking from a location of their choice not under the employer's control, and workplaces with fewer than 10 employees working at any given time that are not accessible to the public and comply with §3203.

### What are the penalties for SB 553 non-compliance?

Cal/OSHA enforces SB 553 through Title 8 citations. Penalty amounts are set by the Labor Code and adjusted annually; see Cal/OSHA's Citation Statistics page for current figures rather than relying on a number from an older article.

### Does my harassment policy satisfy SB 553?

No. A handbook policy prohibiting workplace violence is not a Workplace Violence Prevention Plan. Labor Code §6401.9(c)(2) lists the plan's required contents as subparagraphs (A) through (M), including emergency response procedures, hazard identification and correction, and training procedures. The plan may be a stand-alone section of your IIPP or a separate document, but it must contain all of them.

### Do I need to update my WVPP every year?

Labor Code §6401.9(c)(2)(L) requires procedures to review the plan's effectiveness, and the review has to happen at least annually, as well as after incidents and identified deficiencies. Record each review — a review that isn't written down can't be shown.

### Can I use a free template for my WVPP?

A template is a starting point, not a finished plan. §6401.9(c)(1) requires the plan to be specific to the hazards and corrective measures for each work area and operation — so the template only becomes a plan once you fill in your hazards, your emergency procedures, and your responsible people. Cal/OSHA publishes a free model plan that is the best starting structure.