What should I do if I have a violent incident or threat of violence at work?

All reports of workplace violence or threats of violence should be taken seriously by an employer. Employers should respond to such reports according to their workplace violence prevention plan.

Most California employers are required to address workplace violence under California’s general industry workplace violence safety law. Under the law, employers must implement and maintain a comprehensive workplace violence prevention plan (WVPP) either as a standalone document or as part of their required Injury and Illness Prevention Plan (IIPP), which must include procedures for communicating regarding workplace violent incidents (i.e., reporting incidents, alerting employees to workplace violence emergencies, etc.), responding to actual or perceived workplace violence emergencies, and ways to identify, evaluate and correct workplace violence hazards.

Employers must also train employees on the plan, create workplace violence incidence logs and comply with various recordkeeping requirements.

Though an employer’s WVPP procedures must be customized for their own worksite and business circumstances, the following are some common procedures for responding to reports of workplace violence.

Always take a complete report of the incident from the individual reporting it, consider the status of the allegedly violent individual (employee, customer, criminal) and conduct an investigation.

If the allegedly violent individual is an employee, suspension may be appropriate until the investigation is complete. If a vendor or someone else providing service to the business is suspected of violence, telephone that person's supervisor to insist that they be kept away from your workplace until further notice.

If a customer is alleged to have committed a violent act in your workplace, immediately notify security, receptionists and others who have initial contact with the public.

When investigating a threat always ask who made the threat, the exact language used, who was threatened, the tone of voice and attitude of the individual making the threat, the location and time the threat was made, and if any previous threats have been made.

Interview witnesses, if any. All witnesses should be asked if any additional witnesses may exist. Interview the individual alleged to have made the threat, but never hold the individual against their will, as this may constitute the tort of false imprisonment. Assess the information gathered and make a good faith decision. This may include discipline or termination of an employee, the termination of a business relationship, the filing of a police report and/or application for a temporary restraining order.

Employers must document the findings of their investigation and ensure corrective actions have been carried out. This will include a new inspection of their worksite for workplace violence hazards, and likely altering their workplace violence prevention plan and conducting additional training on the new or unrecognized hazards and/or changes to the company's plan.

Employers must specifically document each workplace violence incident in a workplace violence incident log.

Read more about California’s Workplace Violence Prevention Requirements in the HR Library.