Violence Prevention in the Workplace

Cal Poly is committed to cultivating a civil, non-violent learning, working, and social environment devoid of any forms of conduct, including discrimination, which could be considered harassing, coercive, or disruptive. The principles of civility and mutual respect underpin our pursuit of excellence in teaching and learning. These principles not only contribute to a safe and productive workplace but also foster a healthy campus climate for all. Our Workplace Violence Prevention Plan (“WVPP”) addresses and implements corrective measures for workplace violence hazards specific to Cal Poly’s work areas and operations.

Workplace Violence Prevention Requirements

California Senate Bill 553: Workplace Violence Legislation

California SB 553 caused the California Labor Code Section 6401.9 to be enacted. Starting July 1, 2024, California employers that fall within the scope of this law must establish, implement, and maintain a Workplace Violence Prevention Plan including but not limited to.

Communicating with employees regarding workplace violence matters
Responding to reports of workplace violence
Prohibit employee retaliation
Developing and providing effective training
Identifying and correcting workplace violence hazards
Performing post incident response and investigations

See Cal Poly's Workplace Violence Prevention Plan

Employees of Cal Poly Partners can view the Cal Poly Partners Workplace Violence Prevention Plan.

What is Workplace Violence

Workplace violence refers to any act of violence that occurs in a place of employment. “Workplace violence” includes but is not limited to, the following actions:

Act of Violence: The use or exercise of physical force or mental stress against another person.
Intimidation:An act towards another person, the purpose of which is to coerce and the result of which could reasonably cause the other person to fear for their safety of the safety of others.
Threat of Violence:Any verbal or written statement, including but not limited to, texts, electronic messages, social media messages, or other online posts, or any behavioral or physical conduct that conveys an intent, or that is reasonably perceived to coney an intent, to cause physical harm or to place someone in fear of physical harm.

Types of Workplace Violence

Type 1 Violence: Workplace violence committed by a person who has no legitimate business at the worksite and includes violent acts by anyone who enters the workplace or approaches workers with the intent to commit a crime.

Type 2 Violence: Workplace violence directed at employees by customers, clients, patients, students, inmates, or visitors.

Type 3 Violence: Workplace violence against an employee by a present or former employee, supervisor, or manager.

Type 4 Violence: Workplace violence committed in the workplace by a person who does not work there but has or is known to have had a personal relationship with an employee.

Preventing Workplace Violence

All members of the Cal Poly community are responsible for using safe work practices, following all Cal Poly directives, policies, and procedures concerning campus security, and assisting in maintaining a safe and secure work and learning environment . Cal Poly is committed to preventing violence in the workplace through training programs and identifying and evaluating workplace violence hazards.

Training

Cal Poly will provide training to employees as part of its Workplace Violence Prevention Program (WVPP). This training occurs when the WVPP is initially established, or when a new employee joins, and annually thereafter (see Appendix D for the training link).
All employees must complete mandatory Workplace Violence prevention training, as assigned by University Personnel. This training ensures that everyone knows how to maintain a safe environment and minimize potential risks.

Identifying & Evaluating Workplace Violence Hazards

The Office of Environmental Health & Safety (EHS), in coordination with CPPD and Risk Management (RM), will oversee the identification of Workplace Violence physical hazards. .
Members will report workplace violence hazards or concerns through the following channels:

Report a hazardous or unsafe condition using the form given here.
Use Cal Poly’s EHS Incident Reporting Form, available at this link.
The Cal Poly Police Department, Human Resources, or a supervisor.

EHS administrators and staff will review and document the outcomes of all such reports.
EHS, CPPD, and Facilities Management conduct an annual review using a checklist like the one provided by OSHA for assessing workplace safety measures.Sample Checklist

How to Report Workplace Violence

Members who witness or perceive an act of violence or threat of violence on campus are urged to report such incidents or workplace violence through one or more of the following channels:

For immediate risk dial 911
Call University Police at 805-756-2281 (when safe to do so)
Download & connect with Cal Poly Police Department through the Rave Guardian App
Use the emergency blue light phones
Report incident to a supervisor or Human Resources

Violent Incident Log Request

The Cal Poly Policy Department is primarily responsible for maintaining the log, which will be used to record reported Workplace Violence incidents. Below is an example of what information the Incident log will include if requested.

Example of Incident Log from Ca.gov: Workplace Violent Incident Log (ca.gov)

Other Resources:

Work Life Programs and Services - Human Resources

Contact:
Email: humanresources@calpoly.edu
Telephone: 805-756-2236
Location: 1 Grand Avenue, Building 01, San Luis Obispo, CA 93407