Free Workplace Violence Prevention Plan Template (California, SB 553)

If you're a California employer trying to write a Workplace Violence Prevention Plan (WVPP), you don't need to start from a blank page — and you shouldn't pay a lawyer $400 an hour to do it from scratch either. Cal/OSHA publishes its own free model plan, and that's the right starting point for nearly every employer covered by SB 553.

This guide does two things: (1) shows you exactly where to download the official Cal/OSHA template, and (2) walks you through every section of it in plain English so you actually know what to write in each blank.

Why Use Cal/OSHA's Template Instead of a Random One

Type “workplace violence prevention plan template” into Google and you'll get dozens of results. PDFs from law firms, HR consultants, safety vendors, and template marketplaces. Most of them are fine. Some of them are not. None of them carries the weight of the one Cal/OSHA wrote.

Three reasons to start from the official version:

1. It's structured around §3343 verbatim. Cal/OSHA wrote the template the same way they wrote the regulation. Every required element is in there, in the same order, using the same language an inspector will look for.
2. It can't be wrong about the rule. Third-party templates sometimes lag the regulation or simplify language in ways that drop required elements. The state's own template tracks the state's own rule.
3. It's free, and there's no risk of using a template that locks your data into a vendor. The Cal/OSHA file is a Word document. You own it from the moment you download it.

Why a Template Alone Is Not Enough

This part is critical, and it's where most employers get into trouble. A blank template that you printed out and stuck in a binder is not a Workplace Violence Prevention Plan. Cal/OSHA has been explicit on this point in multiple guidance documents: a generic, unfilled template does not satisfy §3343.

The template gives you the structure. You provide the substance:

• Your workplace's actual hazards, identified by walking the space
• Your actual emergency procedures, with the actual phone numbers and the actual exit routes
• The actual names or job titles of the people responsible for implementing the plan at your business
• Your actual reporting procedure, written so an employee can read it and know what to do
• Your actual training schedule and the actual person who delivers the training

If you fill in the Cal/OSHA template properly, you have a plan. If you leave the brackets and the placeholder text, you have a piece of paper that will not survive a Cal/OSHA inspection.

Section-by-Section Walkthrough of the Cal/OSHA Template

The Cal/OSHA model plan is organized around the eleven elements required by Title 8 §3343. Here's what each section is asking for and how to fill it in.

1. Responsibility

What it asks for: The names or job titles of the people responsible for implementing the WVPP.

How to fill it in: Job titles age better than names — if you put “Sarah Lee, Office Manager” and Sarah leaves, the plan is suddenly out of date. Use “Office Manager” or “Site Supervisor” and maintain a separate roster of who currently holds each title. List backup contacts in case the primary is unavailable.

2. Employee Involvement

What it asks for: How employees will participate in developing, implementing, and reviewing the plan.

How to fill it in: Describe the actual mechanism. A staff meeting once a quarter where the plan is on the agenda. A suggestion box with anonymous reporting. A safety committee that reviews incidents. The mechanism must exist in reality, not just on paper — if Cal/OSHA inspects, they may ask employees whether the mechanism is real.

3. Coordination with Other Employers

What it asks for: How you'll coordinate with other employers at shared worksites (subcontractors, building tenants, temporary workers).

How to fill it in: If you have no shared worksites, say so explicitly. If you do, describe the coordination: shared safety briefings, joint emergency procedures, who calls 911, who notifies whom after an incident. Skipping this section because it “doesn't apply” without writing that down is a common citation point.

4. Compliance

What it asks for: How you'll ensure employees comply with the plan.

How to fill it in: Describe positive recognition, training, and the consequences of not following the plan. The Cal/OSHA template suggests language about disciplinary action for non-compliance — keep it, but make sure your actual personnel policies match what you wrote here.

5. Communication

What it asks for: How you'll communicate with employees about workplace violence hazards and the plan.

How to fill it in: List the actual channels: posted notices, employee handbook, all-hands meetings, the location where the WVPP itself is kept and how an employee can request a copy. Cal/OSHA expects that employees can access the plan during their shift — saying “available upon request” is fine as long as the request can actually be honored quickly.

6. Emergency Response

What it asks for: Procedures for an actual workplace violence emergency: alerting employees, evacuation, contacting law enforcement, post-incident response.

How to fill it in: This is the highest-stakes section. Be specific:

• How will employees alert each other during an incident? (Code word, panic button, app)
• What are the evacuation routes from each part of the workplace?
• Who calls 911? What information do they give?
• Where is the assembly point outside the building?
• Who accounts for employees after evacuation?
• How will you provide medical care or emotional support to victims?

7. Hazard Identification and Evaluation

What it asks for: How you'll identify and evaluate workplace violence hazards.

How to fill it in: Describe how often you do hazard assessments (annually at minimum, plus after incidents and when conditions change), who does them, and what they look at. This section should reference the hazard checklist further down in this guide.

8. Hazard Correction

What it asks for: How you'll correct identified hazards.

How to fill it in: A simple workflow: hazard identified → logged → assigned to a responsible person → corrected by a deadline → verified. Cal/OSHA expects you to actually do this and keep records of corrections, not just write that you will.

9. Post-Incident Response and Investigation

What it asks for: What happens after an incident: investigation, victim support, plan updates.

How to fill it in: Describe the steps. Investigate within X days. Document findings. Provide trauma support resources. Update the WVPP if the incident reveals a gap. Train employees on the changes.

10. Training

What it asks for: How and when employees will be trained.

How to fill it in: Annual training at a minimum, plus when the plan is first established and when new hazards are identified. Training must include an interactive component — an opportunity for employees to ask questions of someone knowledgeable about the plan. Self-paced video alone does not qualify. (See our SB 553 training requirements guide for the full list of required topics.)

11. Recordkeeping and Annual Review

What it asks for: How long records are kept and how often the plan is reviewed.

How to fill it in: Records: training records for 1 year, hazard identification and correction records for 5 years, incident logs for 5 years, incident investigation records for 5 years. Annual review: pick a date and put it on a calendar. The review must be documented, even if nothing changed.

Hazard Identification Checklist

Hazard identification is the section employers most often fumble. Cal/OSHA wants you to actually walk the workplace and document what you see. Here's a starting checklist organized by the four types of workplace violence:

Type 1 — Criminal intent (no relationship to the business)

• Cash on hand or visible from outside the building?
• Lone-worker shifts, especially nights and weekends?
• Building entries that can't be locked or monitored?
• Poor exterior lighting or hidden parking areas?
• History of robbery or trespass at this location or nearby?
• Valuable inventory or controlled substances on premises?

Type 2 — Customer / client / patient violence

• Direct customer contact, especially under stressful conditions (waits, denials, complaints)?
• Customers who may be intoxicated, mentally ill, or in crisis?
• Customer service positions without a physical barrier?
• Cash transactions or refund disputes?
• Health and safety enforcement (security, parking enforcement, code compliance)?

Type 3 — Worker on worker

• History of conflict between specific employees?
• Recent or anticipated terminations or layoffs?
• Disciplinary actions in process?
• Bullying or harassment complaints?
• Adequate supervision and conflict-resolution channels?

Type 4 — Personal relationship (e.g., domestic violence)

• Employees who have disclosed a restraining order or stalking situation?
• Building entries that screen non-employees before they reach the work floor?
• Procedure for an employee to alert security or coworkers if a personal threat enters the workplace?
• Coordination with local law enforcement when needed?

For each “yes” answer, write down the hazard, the location, and the corrective action you'll take. That document is your hazard identification record — keep it for 5 years and update it annually.

Common Mistakes That Cause Cal/OSHA Citations

Leaving the placeholder text in the template

Brackets like [Insert name here] or [Describe procedure] are dead giveaways that the template was downloaded but not actually filled in. Cal/OSHA inspectors look for these.

No documented annual review

Even if your plan is otherwise perfect, failing to document the annual review is its own violation. Pick a review date, put it on a calendar, and write a one-paragraph review note every year.

Hazard identification done at a desk instead of in the workplace

Hazards that exist in reality but are missing from the plan are a common citation. Walk the actual workplace, look at the actual entries, talk to the actual employees.

Plan is in a binder no one can find

Employees must be able to access the plan. If your plan is on a corporate share that frontline employees can't reach, you have an access problem. Print a copy and post it where it can be read.

Training section says “annual” but no actual training has happened

Cal/OSHA will ask for training records. If your plan says you train annually and you have no records, that is a citation regardless of what the plan says.

What You Still Need After the Template Is Filled In

A filled-in WVPP is necessary but not sufficient. SB 553 requires three things, not one:

1. The written WVPP — what this template gets you
2. A Violent Incident Log — separate from the OSHA 300 Log, with 5-year retention. This is where you record any incident, including threats. Read more about the incident log →
3. Annual employee training — covering nine specific topics, with an interactive component. Read our full guide to SB 553 training requirements →

And then you have to keep all three current: annual reviews of the plan, ongoing incident logging, annual retraining, and records that are actually available when an inspector or an employee asks for them.

CompliantCA helps you do all of this without re-doing the work every year. Answer questions about your business, get a customized plan that builds on Cal/OSHA's model, track incidents and training in one place, and get reminded when annual reviews are due. Learn more →

Sources & References

• Model Workplace Violence Prevention Plan for General Industry (.docx) — Cal/OSHA
• Section 3343, Title 8, California Code of Regulations — Cal/OSHA Standards Board
• Workplace Violence Prevention in General Industry — Cal/OSHA
• SB 553 Full Text — California Legislature