SB 553 Workplace Violence Prevention Checklist for California Dental and Medical Offices

Last reviewed October 5, 2026

Since July 1, 2024, California Labor Code §6401.9 (SB 553) requires most employers to have a written workplace violence prevention plan, keep a violent incident log, train employees every year and keep records. Use this checklist to see where your practice stands. Tick the boxes as you go, then print it or save it as a PDF for your files.

1. Does SB 553 apply to your practice?

A standalone dental or medical office that sees patients is generally covered. The law does not apply to:

• Facilities covered by Cal/OSHA’s health care standard (8 CCR §3342), such as hospitals and certain other health facilities.
• Employees teleworking from a place of their own choosing.
• Places with fewer than 10 employees working at any given time that are not open to the public, if the employer also follows its Injury and Illness Prevention Program.
• Certain law enforcement and correctional settings.

• We checked whether any exception applies and wrote down the result.

2. Your written plan

The plan can be its own document or a section of your Injury and Illness Prevention Program. It must be in writing, available to employees, and include:

• The names or job titles of the people responsible for the plan.
• How employees and their representatives take part in creating and carrying out the plan.
• How you coordinate with other employers at your site (for example, a building manager or staffing agency).
• How employee concerns and reports are accepted and handled, and how you prohibit retaliation against anyone who reports.
• How you make sure supervisors and staff follow the plan.
• How you communicate with employees about workplace violence and train them.
• How you identify, evaluate and fix workplace violence hazards, including after an incident.
• How you respond to actual or potential violence and alert employees in an emergency.
• How you investigate incidents and respond afterward, including support for affected employees.
• How and when you review and update the plan.

3. Violent incident log

Record every workplace violence incident, even if no one was hurt. Do not include anyone’s name or other personal identifying information. Each entry should include:

• The date, time and location of the incident.
• The type of workplace violence (Type 1 to 4: criminal intent, patient or customer, worker on worker, or personal relationship).
• A detailed description of what happened.
• Who committed it (for example, a patient, a stranger, a coworker), described by role, not by name.
• The circumstances (for example, working alone, a poorly lit area, short staffing).
• The type of incident (for example, threat, physical attack, use of a weapon) and its consequences, including whether police were called and what actions were taken.
• The name and job title of the person who completed the log entry.

4. Training

Train employees when the plan is first set up, then every year, and again when a new hazard is found or the plan changes. Training must cover:

• Your plan, how to get a copy, and how to help develop and carry it out.
• The definitions and requirements of Labor Code §6401.9.
• How to report incidents or concerns without fear of retaliation.
• The workplace violence hazards specific to each job and the measures you take against them.
• How to get help to prevent or respond to violence, and strategies to avoid physical harm.
• The violent incident log and how to get copies of required records.
• A chance to ask questions of a person who knows your plan (for example, your office manager).

5. Records to keep

Record	Keep for at least
Hazard identification, evaluation and correction records	5 years
Training records (dates, summary, trainer and qualifications, names and job titles of those trained)	1 year
Violent incident logs	5 years
Incident investigation records	5 years

• Records are stored where we can show them to employees and Cal/OSHA on request.

6. Keep the plan alive

• We review the plan at least once a year.
• We review it again after any workplace violence incident.
• We review it whenever we find a problem with how it works.

What is coming next

Cal/OSHA is writing a detailed general industry workplace violence standard. A revised draft was released in August 2026, and the Standards Board is required to adopt the standard by December 31, 2026. We will update this checklist and our training when it is adopted.

This checklist is general information based on California Labor Code §6401.9 and Cal/OSHA guidance as of the date above. It is not legal advice. Have your own attorney or safety advisor review your plan. Sources: Labor Code §6401.9 · Cal/OSHA workplace violence prevention.