To: Board of Supervisors
From: Human Resources
Agenda Section: Consent
Vote Requirement: Majority
SUBJECT:
title
Adopt the County of Humboldt Workplace Violence Prevention Plan
end
RECOMMENDATION(S):
Recommendation
That the Board of Supervisors:
1. Adopt the County of Humboldt Workplace Violence Prevention Plan (WVPP); and
2. Authorize the Director of Human Resources to make amendments to the WVPP.
Body
STRATEGIC PLAN:
This action supports the following areas of your Board’s Strategic Plan.
Area of Focus: Core Services/Other
Strategic Plan Category: 9999 - Core Services/Other
DISCUSSION:
The Human Resources Department has developed a WVPP pursuant to California Senate Bill 553 (SB 553). This bill was signed into law on Sept. 20, 2023, by Governor Gavin Newsom and requires employers to adopt a comprehensive workplace violence prevention plan by July 1, 2024, with no additional funding allocated to carry out this law. Employers are to establish, implement, and maintain an effective WVPP that provides for and conforms to the requirements set forth in Labor Code section 6401.9.
The County of Humboldt is committed to providing and maintaining a safe work environment for all employees in compliance with SB 553. Human Resources staff will be primarily responsible for implementation of the WVPP, which involves training on workplace violence awareness for all employees, violent incident identifications and reporting, tracking of violent incidents, and corrective actions when hazards are recognized. Human Resources staff will also be responsible for making necessary updates to the WVPP as new hazards are identified and corrected. Due to the ongoing requirement to assess the WVPP, county departments will be responsible for maintaining worksite specific plans in order to comply with SB 553.
SOURCE OF FUNDING:
The WVPP is an unfunded state mandate. All county departments will be responsible for funding the implementation of the WVPP at their various worksites.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
Narrative Explanation of Financial Impact:
While there is no direct financial impact associated with the adoption of the WVPP, there are costs in terms of staff time to create and prepare the plan as well as financial impacts to Human Resources staff who will also be responsible for ongoing implementation and administration of this plan in its entirety, as required by SB 553. The state has not provided any funding for implementation of the WVPP, so county departments will also be financially impacted in terms of staff time to attend trainings on the WVPP and implementing the plan at their various worksites.
STAFFING IMPACT:
Narrative Explanation of Staffing Impact:
County staff will be impacted in terms of time spent creating and attending trainings on the WVPP, implementing and administering the WVPP, and identifying hazards and necessary corrective actions at their worksites as required by SB 553.
OTHER AGENCY INVOLVEMENT:
CalOSHA is responsible for enforcing the requirements of SB 553.
ALTERNATIVES TO STAFF RECOMMENDATIONS:
The Board may choose to not adopt a WVPP; however, this is not recommended as the adoption of the WVPP is a requirement of SB 553 and without an approved WVPP in place the County of Humboldt would be out of compliance.
ATTACHMENTS:
1. Workplace Violence Prevention Plan
PREVIOUS ACTION/REFERRAL:
Meeting of: N/A
File No.: N/A