If you oversee a workplace in California with more than 10 employees, here’s important news for you.
As of July 1, a new state law — the first of its kind in the nation — requires employers in most industries to create workplace violence prevention plans. The legislation, authored by state Sen. Dave Cortese, D-San Jose, was prompted by a mass shooting at a light rail transit railyard in Silicon Valley in 2021. A 57-year-old disgruntled employee, who had reportedly expressed hatred about his job and colleagues, killed nine coworkers before committing suicide.
“On that horrible day, we quickly realized how safety protocols can and must be enhanced,” Cortese said in a news release issued after the bill was signed into law in late 2023. “SB 553 is the result of a months-long negotiation between workers, businesses and Cal/OSHA. This groundbreaking law will help workers and employers establish a plan for the types of workplace violence that are on the rise. I applaud my colleagues and Governor [Gavin] Newsom for recognizing the necessity of this law.”
The measure comes at a time when workplace violence is a growing concern:
• A 2022 federal study showed an average of 1.3 million incidents a year of non-fatal workplace violence from 2015 to 2019.
• In 2021-22, workplace assaults caused 57,610 injuries and 525 people died from assaults at work, according to the National Safety Council.
• Half of the 36 deadliest shootings in the U.S. during the past 120 years have occurred during the past decade, and shootings motivated by hate and people seeking fame have increased since 2015, according to the Violence Project, a federally funded nonprofit and nonpartisan research center.
Innovation in law and technology
Cortese’s bill SB 553 is a landmark piece of legislation that requires employers to create and maintain procedures for reporting violent incidents, assessing risks, and providing training to employees. It also prohibits any form of retaliation against employees who report violence, to help workers feel safe about speaking up.
Alphy shares a commitment to mitigating risk in the workplace. Our AI communication technology, Reflect AI, identifies harmful, unlawful and unethical language — including retaliation and threat of physical harm — in email in real time, before it escalates. By integrating with a company’s communication channels, Reflect AI alerts managers in workplace safety, conduct, and compliance to potential breaches and real threats.
By issuing real-time feedback to users, Reflect AI serves as an educational tool, helping employees understand what constitutes harmful communication — whether intentional or inadvertent. This aligns with SB 553's emphasis on employee training and awareness.
Reflect AI also acts as a monitor, generating reports of detected incidents that provide data for employers to analyze and address potential risks. These reports can be instrumental in developing and refining workplace violence prevention plans as required by SB 553.
Implementing Reflect AI can also save organizations significant costs associated with workplace violence, including litigation, employee turnover, and lost productivity, by preventing incidents before they escalate.
Multifaceted solutions are key
One top law enforcement veteran who believes language is among the red flags overlooked when it comes to workplace violence is Kristen Ziman, former police chief of Aurora, Ill. She oversaw her department’s response to the 2019 mass shooting in which an aggrieved former employee at a manufacturing plant opened fire and killed five coworkers and injured five officers and a civilian before being shot and killed by police. The gunman, prior to being terminated, had threatened that if he were fired he would kill everyone at his workplace and “blow police up,” according to published reports.
“Workplace violence is a complex issue that requires multifaceted solutions,” said Ziman, now a consultant on leadership and mass shooting prevention and author of Reimagining Blue: Thoughts on Life, Leadership, and a New Way Forward in Policing. “The implementation of proactive measures like SB 553 and innovative tools such as Reflect AI is a crucial step in creating safer work environments.”
Ziman was also one of nine experts selected by the Justice Department to review the 2022 Uvalde school shooting.
“By addressing harmful communication before it escalates and providing real-time feedback, we can prevent potential incidents and foster a culture of respect and accountability,” Ziman said. “These forward-thinking approaches not only enhance safety but also empower employees to speak up without fear of retaliation. This is the kind of innovation we need to protect our workplaces and ensure the well-being of all employees.”
Bottom line: Because California is often at the forefront of social change and innovation, the Workplace Violence Prevention legislation stands a good chance of being replicated in other states across the nation. As an innovative technology, we at Alphy think Reflect AI can be an indispensable asset in the quest for compliance in California and beyond.
Carolyne Zinko is the AI editor at Alphy.
Reflect AI by Alphy is an AI communication compliance solution that detects and flags language that is harmful, unlawful, and unethical in digital communication. Alphy was founded to reduce the risk of litigation from harmful and discriminatory communication while helping employees communicate more effectively.