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

Source: https://compliantca.com/guides/workplace-violence-prevention-plan-template/
Published: 2026-04-06
Updated: 2026-08-16
Publisher: CompliantCA — not a law firm; this is not legal advice.

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 don't need to pay a lawyer to get a first draft either. **Cal/OSHA publishes its own free model plan**, and that's the right starting point for nearly every employer covered by SB 553.

At a glance

- Cal/OSHA publishes a free **Model Workplace Violence Prevention Plan** as a Word document at dir.ca.gov.
- The template covers the plan elements required by **Labor Code §6401.9(c)(2)**, organised into the 11 sections Cal/OSHA uses in its own model plan.
- A blank template is **not** a plan — §6401.9(c)(1) requires the plan to be specific to the hazards of each work area and operation.
- Plan to spend **2–4 hours** filling it in for a single-location small business.
- Pair the completed plan with a **Violent Incident Log** and **annual employee training** — §6401.9 requires all three.

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.

Download the official Cal/OSHA template

Cal/OSHA's **Model Workplace Violence Prevention Plan for General Industry** is a free Word document published by the Division of Occupational Safety and Health.

[Download Cal/OSHA Model Plan (.docx) →](https://www.dir.ca.gov/dosh/dosh_publications/Model-WPV-Plan-General-Industry.docx)

Hosted directly by dir.ca.gov — the California Department of Industrial Relations.

**Free Violent Incident Log template.** The plan is one of SB 553's three requirements — the incident log is another. One entry page per incident, with every field §6401.9(d)(2) lists as a printable PDF. No account.
[Request the log template →](/request/violent-incident-log/?from=workplace-violence-prevention-plan-template)
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## Why Use Cal/OSHA's Template Instead of a Random One {#why-template}

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. **None of them is the one Cal/OSHA wrote.**

Three reasons to start from the official version:

1. **It's structured around the statute.** Every required element is in there, in order, in the statute's own language.
2. **The state's own template tracks the state's own rule.** Third-party templates sometimes lag the statute or simplify language in ways that drop required elements.
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 {#template-not-enough}

This part is critical. **A blank template that you printed out and stuck in a binder is not a Workplace Violence Prevention Plan.** §6401.9(c)(1) requires the plan to be specific to the hazards and corrective measures for each work area and operation — an unfilled template is, by the statute's own terms, not yet a plan.

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 document that is specific to no workplace — which is exactly what §6401.9(c)(1) rules out.

## Section-by-Section Walkthrough of the Cal/OSHA Template {#walkthrough}

The Cal/OSHA model plan is organised into eleven sections covering the plan elements required by Labor Code §6401.9(c)(2), which the statute itself enumerates as subparagraphs (A) through (M). 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 statute asks for *effective procedures* to obtain *active involvement* — a mechanism that exists in reality, not just on paper.

### 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. Don't leave the section blank because it “doesn't apply” — a blank section reads as unanswered; a sentence saying it doesn't apply is an answer.

### 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. §6401.9(c)(1) requires the plan to be available and easily accessible to employees at all times — “available upon request” only works if 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. §6401.9(f)(1) requires records of hazard identification, evaluation, and correction, kept for a minimum of five years — so the workflow has to produce a paper trail, not just fixes.

### 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](/guides/sb-553-training-requirements/) 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-checklist}

Hazard identification is where the real work is: walking the workplace and documenting what you see, rather than filling in the section from a desk. 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 {#common-mistakes}

### Leaving the placeholder text in the template

Brackets like [Insert name here] or [Describe procedure] mean the template was downloaded but never filled in — and §6401.9(c)(1) requires a plan specific to your work areas and operations, which placeholder text by definition is not.

### No documented annual review

§6401.9(c)(2)(L) requires procedures to review the plan's effectiveness, at least annually. A review that isn't written down can't be shown. 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

The plan has to be specific to the hazards of each work area and operation. Hazards that exist in reality but are missing from the plan are exactly the gap that specificity requirement targets. Walk the actual workplace, look at the actual entries, talk to the actual employees.

### Plan is in a binder no one can find

§6401.9(c)(1) requires the plan to be available and easily accessible to employees at all times. 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

§6401.9(f)(2) requires training records — date, contents, trainer, attendees. If your plan says you train annually and no records exist, the training can't be shown, whatever the plan says.

## What You Still Need After the Template Is Filled In {#after-the-template}

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 →](/guides/sb-553-compliance-requirements/#requirement-2-incident-log)
3. **Annual employee training** — covering the §6401.9(e)(2) content, with an interactive component. [Read our full guide to SB 553 training requirements →](/guides/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 you can produce within 15 calendar days when an employee asks.

**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=workplace-violence-prevention-plan-template)
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CompliantCA is building the operating layer for exactly this — incident logs, training records, and review reminders in one place, wrapped around the plan you already have.

## Sources & References {#sources}

- [Model Workplace Violence Prevention Plan for General Industry (.docx)](https://www.dir.ca.gov/dosh/dosh_publications/Model-WPV-Plan-General-Industry.docx) — Cal/OSHA
- [Labor Code §6401.9](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=LAB&sectionNum=6401.9) — the operative statute for general industry
- [Workplace Violence Prevention in General Industry — rulemaking](https://www.dir.ca.gov/dosh/doshreg/Workplace-Violence-in-General-Industry/) — Cal/OSHA Standards Board; the general-industry regulation is still being developed
- [Workplace Violence Prevention in General Industry](https://www.dir.ca.gov/dosh/Workplace-Violence/General-Industry.html) — Cal/OSHA
- [SB 553 Full Text](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202320240SB553) — California Legislature

## Frequently asked questions

### Is there an official Workplace Violence Prevention Plan template for California?

Yes. Cal/OSHA publishes an official Model Workplace Violence Prevention Plan for general industry as a free Word document at dir.ca.gov. It is the state's own template and the best starting point for most California employers.

### Can I just download a template and call it my plan?

No. Labor Code §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 has none of that. The template is a starting structure. You must fill it in with your specific workplace hazards, your actual emergency procedures, and the names or job titles of the people responsible for the plan at your business.

### What are the required elements of a WVPP?

Labor Code §6401.9(c)(2) lists the plan's contents as subparagraphs (A) through (M): responsible persons, employee involvement procedures, coordination with other employers, incident reporting and anti-retaliation procedures, compliance procedures, communication procedures, emergency response procedures, training procedures, hazard identification and evaluation, hazard correction, post-incident response and investigation, plan effectiveness review, and anything else the division requires. Cal/OSHA's model plan organizes these into eleven sections.

### How long does it take to fill out a WVPP template?

For a small business with one location, expect 2-4 hours of focused work to fill out the Cal/OSHA model template properly. Most of that time is spent on hazard identification, which requires actually walking your workplace and documenting what you find.