How do you run workplace violence prevention training online in California?

Labor Code section 6401.9 requires covered employers to keep a written workplace violence prevention plan and to train employees on it. The requirements took effect July 1, 2024, according to the Cal/OSHA guidance page. What I read in the Cal/OSHA employer fact sheet sets out the training duty this way:

• Initial training when the plan is set up, and annual training after that
• Additional training when a new or previously unrecognized hazard is identified, or when the plan changes, focused on that hazard or change
• Training that is effective, using materials suited to employees' education level, literacy and language
• Opportunities for interactive discussion with someone knowledgeable about the employer's plan

The fact sheet lists these topics: how the plan works, how to get a copy and how to take part in it; the definitions and requirements of section 6401.9; how to report violent incidents without fear of retaliation; the workplace violence hazards specific to each job and how to prevent them; and the purpose of the violent incident log and how to get related records.

Who is covered and which employers are exempt is a separate question, and I answer it in workplace violence prevention training requirements. Read the statute and the Cal/OSHA pages for your own facts. This is general information, not legal advice.

The fact sheet I read does not name a delivery format. It asks for effective training and for interactive discussion with someone who knows your plan. A live online session with a real question period is one way to meet both. A recorded video with nothing after it has no one to ask, so it does not offer that discussion by itself.

I did not find a Cal/OSHA statement that bars live online delivery, and I did not find one that approves a specific format. If your situation is unusual, or the stakes are high, confirm your format with Cal/OSHA Consultation Services, which offers free technical assistance to employers, or with an employment attorney. Then design the session so the interactive part cannot be skipped.

Build it around your own plan, not a generic deck. Here is the sequence I would run, with timing:

1. 0 to 5 minutes: open with one question everyone answers in the chat, such as “Where would you go first if you needed to report a concern today?” State the purpose and who will answer questions
2. 5 to 20 minutes: walk through the plan: how to get a copy, how to report without fear of retaliation, what the emergency steps are and where the incident log fits
3. 20 to 40 minutes: run two scenario cards in breakout groups. Each group decides what it would do, who it would tell and what it would record
4. 40 to 55 minutes: hold the question period, led by the person who knows the plan best
5. 55 to 60 minutes: have each person write one thing they will do differently, then close and confirm the training record

Keep slides to the plan's own pages. People remember what they practice, and the scenarios are where the practice happens. For breakout mechanics, see how to run a breakout room.

Write each card from a situation your own sites could face, and keep it to four or five lines. The statute describes four types of workplace violence, from a stranger with criminal intent to a person who has a personal relationship with an employee, and a good set of cards covers the types your sites actually meet. Here is a hypothetical card to adapt. It is an example, not a real event.

Run each card in four beats: read it aloud, give people a minute to decide alone, let the group compare answers, then check the answers against the plan. The check against the plan is the point. It shows people where the plan is clear and where it needs fixing. Remote and field staff need cards that fit their setting, such as a home visit or a delivery stop.

Set one rule and keep to it: the question period is protected time, led by a named person who knows the plan, and it does not get cut when the earlier parts run long. Then use three moves to make it real:

• Collect questions in writing during the session, so people who will not unmute still get answers
• Answer every question aloud, and say “I do not know, and I will find out by Friday” when that is true, with a named person to follow up
• Record each question and answer in the session notes, because those notes are the evidence that the session was interactive

The fact sheet does not set a title for the person who answers. Pick someone who can speak for the plan with authority, and confirm they have read it this month. If you are training a team across time zones or shifts, offer more than one session so everyone has a live chance to ask. Live sessions and time zones covers the scheduling side.

Keep a record for every session. Cal/OSHA's guidance and the statute list training records among the required records, and the retention period for training records is one year. Violent incident logs and several other records are kept for five years. The statute says a training record includes:

• The dates of the training sessions
• A summary of the contents
• The names and qualifications of the people who conducted the training
• The names and job titles of the attendees

Add two items of your own: the version of the plan you taught and the log of questions asked and answered. They are not required by the sources I read, but they show what the session covered and give you a list of fixes for the plan. For the wider records picture, see training records in California: what to keep.

The Cal/OSHA guidance page says the agency is developing a workplace violence prevention standard for general industry and that the Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board must adopt it no later than December 31, 2026. Check that page for the current status before you finalize your plan.

Until then, the statute is what applies. Build your training so it is easy to update: keep the plan teaching in one short module and the scenarios in a separate set. When the rules change, you swap a module and not the whole session.