If you manage employee safety in California, this Cal/OSHA workplace violence template helps you meet legal requirements while creating a safer, more organized work environment. Workplace violence includes threats, verbal abuse, and intimidation, and it can happen anywhere from hospital floors to construction sites. This template gives you an efficient way to document risks, incidents, and policies in line with compliance standards.
Key elements of a Cal/OSHA workplace violence template
Here are the template’s core components:
- Workplace violence risk assessment: This section helps you identify where and how violence could occur, based on your specific work environment. You can document past incidents, assess high-risk areas, and involve employees in reporting warning signs. This insight is crucial for tailoring prevention strategies to your real risks.
- Reporting procedures: You’ll outline how employees can raise concerns or report threats. This part clarifies the process, who handles the reports, and how confidentiality is maintained, which encourages early reporting and builds trust.
- Prevention policies: This is where you document your company’s official stance on workplace violence, define unacceptable behavior, and outline steps for prevention, from environmental controls to employee conduct standards.
- Training and communication: Detail how you educate staff on recognizing, avoiding, and responding to threats. This section also includes how you share policies and updates, making sure the plan is also well-understood.
- Incident response and investigation plan: Finally, this part walks through what happens after an incident—immediate actions, who leads the response, how incidents are reviewed, and how lessons are integrated into future policies.
Best practices for usinga the Cal/OSHA workplace violence template
Under California’s workplace violence prevention law, most employers must now maintain a written plan that’s compliant and actionable. These best practices help you make the template a consistent part of your safety culture.
Start by customizing the risk assessment based on job roles and locations. Risks in a medical clinic aren’t the same as those in a warehouse. Update this section regularly, especially after incidents or staffing changes, so it reflects real conditions.
Make reporting easy and accessible. Train your team not just on how to report, but why it matters. Use clear language, avoid jargon, and include reporting links or QR codes if you’re going digital.
Finally, review and revise your prevention plan as part of regular safety meetings. Don’t wait for an incident to highlight gaps. Treat this template as a working tool that you review, discuss, and improve with your team.
Standardize your workplace safety process
Download this Cal/OSHA workplace violence template today and give your team the structure they need to document and respond to workplace incidents confidently. With clear sections for assessments, reporting, and response planning, you can create consistency across teams and locations. The template is fully customizable to suit your operation’s size and risk profile, so you can adapt it to your real-world workflows.