What California Employers Need to Know About Online Workplace Violence Training (2025)
With an estimated 95 deaths in 2023 alone, workplace violence remains one of the most prominent safety concerns in California. While many employers are doing their best to protect their employees, keeping up with legislative changes, time and budgetary constraints, and the demands of remote work can feel like an uphill battle.
To meet new state requirements, businesses are now looking beyond in-person seminars to more effective solutions, such as online workplace violence training. 2025 should be the year that employers eliminate the high costs and scheduling headaches of in-person safety seminars, but before they can, it's important to understand how safety compliance laws have changed.
Senate Bill 553: What it is, and How it Changes Workplace Violence Training in California
One of the most recent major changes to violence prevention is California Senate Bill 553, which requires employers to establish, implement, and maintain a Workplace Violence Prevention Plan (WVPP). Failure to do so can result in significant consequences, including penalties of $18,000 to $25,000 per violation.
A key component of SB 553 calls for businesses to develop and provide effective workplace violence training to their workforce. This training must be accessible to all employees, and documentation is necessary to prove compliance in the event of an audit. However, with remote and hybrid office structures, international employees, and industries that require frequent travel, meeting this requirement through in-person training can be difficult.
Why Online Programs Work Best for California SB 553 Compliance Training
Virtual workplace safety training offers a more modernized alternative to traditional in-person violence prevention education. These digital compliance programs are often the most effective way to achieve compliance for several key reasons:
Scalable Across Remote and Hybrid Teams: Virtual training inherently removes geographical barriers, making it the ideal solution for a dispersed workforce. Whether you have employees working from home, in different offices across the state, or traveling frequently, an online platform provides the same consistent and high-quality training to every individual, no matter the size of your organization. This scalable approach to remote safety training helps new hires and existing team members alike complete the required courses without the unnecessary logistical obstacles or budget constraints associated with coordinating in-person sessions.
Trackable and Auditable: A crucial component of compliance is the ability to prove that training has been completed. Digital training platforms and Learning Management Systems (LMS) solve this problem by automatically generating a detailed audit trail. These systems can track individual employee progress, record completion dates, log assessment scores, and issue digital certificates. By doing so, they create a centralized, easily accessible record that simplifies the process of demonstrating compliance to regulatory bodies like Cal/OSHA.
Easier to Keep Up-to-Date: Regulations and workplace best practices are always subject to change, and modifying an online module is significantly faster and more cost-effective than overhauling an in-person program. Updates to policies, procedures, or legal requirements can be quickly integrated into the digital curriculum and rolled out to all employees simultaneously, allowing your entire organization to stay current.
More Flexible and Inclusive: Online training accommodates the diverse schedules and learning preferences of a modern-day workforce. Employees can often complete self-paced modules at a time that works best for them, which can improve focus and information retention. Furthermore, virtual platforms can incorporate features like closed captioning, multilingual options, and varied media formats, including video, text, and interactive quizzes. This effectively caters to different learning styles and abilities, creating a more inclusive and accessible training experience for everyone.
What Online California SB 553 Compliance Training Should Include
To be compliant with SB 553, your company’s Workplace Violence Prevention Plan and training program must cover specific topics in detail. In addition to meeting state and Cal/OSHA requirements, effective online training modules will need to be customized to your specific work environment. Important areas to cover include:
Types of Workplace Violence
This foundational element provides employees with a shared understanding of what constitutes workplace violence. Per state standards, these definitions must include not only physical assault, but threats, intimidation, harassment, and any conduct that could reasonably be seen as a threat to an employee’s safety. Training should also cover the four main types listed by Cal/OSHA: Type 1 (violence by an outside party with no legitimate business), Type 2 (violence by customers or clients), Type 3 (violence by an employee, supervisor, or manager), and Type 4 (violence by someone with a personal relationship with an employee.)
De-escalation and Conflict Prevention
A crucial part of proactive safety is the ability to recognize and defuse potentially volatile situations before they escalate. Training should involve educating employees about the practical, actionable techniques that can aid conflict resolution. Examples include instructions on how to remain calm during conflict, use non-threatening body language, listen actively to understand the other person’s perspective, and set clear, respectful boundaries before a situation gets out of hand.
Emergency Response Protocols
When prevention is not enough, employees must know exactly how to react in an emergency situation so they can protect themselves and others. This section of the training should clearly outline your company’s specific emergency action plan, including evacuation routes, procedures for sheltering in place, and, as a last resort, how to take action against an assailant (e.g., Run, Hide, Fight). It must also detail how and when to contact law enforcement and what information to provide.
Company-specific Policies and Reporting Tools
Generic, off-the-shelf training is not sufficient for SB 553 compliance. Your program must be built around the situations, details, and policies unique to your organization. To do so, you must list the names or job titles of the individuals responsible for the WVPP, explain the industry-specific hazards that could impact your workplace, and provide step-by-step instructions on how employees can report a threat or incident without fear of retaliation. Training should also clearly explain how to access tools outlined specifically by SB 553, like the violent incident log.
Interactive or Scenario-based Learning
To be effective, training must be engaging and memorable. The best way to do this is by integrating interactive elements. Scenario-based training places employees in realistic, simulated workplace situations, requiring them to use what they’ve learned to navigate a potential conflict or threat. This “learn-by-doing” approach improves critical thinking and decision-making skills, which helps employees recall their training and respond appropriately during a real-world crisis.
4 Common Safety Training Mistakes Employers Should Avoid
In order to effectively teach employee violence prevention online, it's important to avoid any mistakes that can undermine your program’s integrity and create significant legal risks. Common errors include:
Not Educating Remote Teams: A frequent and dangerous assumption is that workplace violence only occurs in a physical office. However, SB 553’s definition of workplace violence includes written threats, harassment, and intimidation that occur through electronic means like email, social media, and text messages. Situations outside of the office, such as domestic violence, can also spill into a remote employee’s workday, and conflicts with clients or coworkers can escalate online. Failing to train remote employees on these risks and the proper procedures for reporting them creates a significant safety and compliance gap.
Failing to Track Completions or Keep Documentation: To meet the requirements of SB 553, training must be meticulously documented in the event of an audit. Employers must keep training records for at least one year and records of all workplace violence hazard assessments and incident logs for a minimum of five years. Failing to do so will make it difficult to prove compliance during an audit, which opens your company up to significant fines and penalties.
Not Training New Hires or Contractors: Your WVPP will not be effective unless all employees participate and complete training. Failing to provide safety education to new employees during the onboarding process leaves them and your entire staff vulnerable. Every new team member must understand the risks and protocols from day one. Similarly, temporary workers and contractors who work alongside your employees must go through safety training, as Cal/OSHA holds both the staffing agency and the host employer responsible for protecting temporary workers from workplace hazards.
Using Free, Generic Templates That Don’t Meet California Laws: Using a generalist, one-size-fits-all training program that isn’t specifically designed to meet California’s strict compliance requirements won’t be sufficient. Your training must cover the specific elements of your company’s written Workplace Violence Prevention Plan, address the unique hazards identified in your workplace, and name the specific people responsible for the plan. Generic content will not satisfy these legal mandates.
How to Create a California-Compliant Workplace Violence Training Program
While creating and administering training on your own is possible, it will demand a significant amount of time, money, and expertise. SB 553 requires a plan to not only be established and implemented, but effective, meaning that all components of the bill must be satisfied by your workplace prevention training efforts. Your program will also need to address the specific hazards and environments of your business, something that is typically only possible with a customized WVPP plan.
To avoid fines or inadequate training, many companies choose to use online workplace violence prevention training. These, when combined with a professionally developed WVPP template, can reduce compliance headaches and prepare all team members in the event of an emergency. Online classes are also self-paced, allowing employees to absorb important information while still meeting all state requirements. This flexibility makes it the ideal HR training for hybrid teams, as every employee receives compliant instruction regardless of location.
Takeaway
With the passage of Senate Bill 553, California employers are now required to establish and implement an effective Workplace Violence Prevention Plan (WVPP). A central component of this law is the administration of employee training, which should cover topics like:
Different types of workplace violence
De-escalation and conflict prevention
Emergency response protocols
Company-specific policies and reporting tools
For training to be effective, it should include interactive or scenario-based learning customized to your specific industry and work environment, including remote and hybrid workplaces. The best way to do this and ensure that your plan meets all compliance requirements is through online workplace violence training.
Virtual workplace safety training can be a low-cost, fast, and highly efficacious alternative to live in-person programs. By using these tools in tandem with a WVPP template, businesses can keep their employees safe, satisfy their budget, and avoid dealing with the stress and logistical challenges of in-person training.
Worried about employee safety and hefty fines? Contact People415 today to get your workplace SB 553 compliant fast.