California Employers, Labor Split on Workplace Violence Rule

A proposed rule preventing workplace violence in California, if enacted, would be the nation’s first to apply to employers outside of health care.

The draft rule that has been six years in the making is already controversial. In comments on the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health proposal, labor advocates point out it lacks requirements for how employers deal with active-shooter incidents, and businesses say the rule treats common stress as workplace violence for which they would be liable.

Without a standard, workers would continue to be vulnerable to attacks and threats, worker organizations say, while business groups see ...