What is the New York Retail Worker Safety Act?
On September 4, 2024, the New York Retail Safety Act was signed into law and requires all retailers with 10 or more employees to:
- Conduct a risk evaluation by examining the workplace for potential hazards related to workplace violence
- Implement a workplace violence prevention policy and training program for all employees (as well as each new employee upon hire)
- Employers with 50 or more employees need to provide training annually*
- Employers with fewer than 50 retail employees need to provide training every two years*
Who is Impacted?
The Retail Safety Act applies to retail establishments selling consumer goods, such as:
- Clothing and accessory stores
- Electronics and appliance retailers
- Home goods and furniture stores
- Pharmacies and specialty retail outlets
Businesses primarily focused on selling food for on-premise consumption (restaurants) are exempt from the mandate.
What are the Requirements?
By March 3, 2025* employers need to provide:
- Written workplace violence prevention policies that address workplace violence risk factors and prevention methods
- Information and interactive training for employees on various workplace violence issues and strategies that employees can use to protect themselves:
- De-escalation tactics
- Active shooter drills
- Emergency procedures
By January 1, 2027, employers with 500 or more retail employees nationwide need to provide access to panic buttons* or mobile phone-based panic buttons throughout their New York workplaces. This could be:
- A physical device placed in easily accessed locations throughout the workplace
- A wearable button
- Mobile phone technology
*Proposed Amendment
There is currently a proposed amendment to the law which is expected to go to a vote sometime in January 2025. If the amendment passes, the Retail Worker Safety Act will go into effect June 2, 2025, instead of March 3rd. Other provisions of the proposed amendment are:
- Employers with fewer than 50 retail employees would only need to provide training every two years instead of annually.
- The term "panic button" will be changed to "Retail Worker Requests for Assistance."
- The Retail Worker Requests for Assistance section of the law would only apply to employers with 500 or more retail employees in New York State (versus nationally as the law is currently written).
Atana's Getting Real About Workplace Violence course and accompanying resources will help you meet the mandate with an approach that raises awareness of concerning behaviors and builds skills on how to bring concerns forward when necessary. It covers extreme violence situations in a way that makes people mindful, not fearful. A New York version of the course is coming soon. Contact us to learn how we can help your organization achieve compliance without any complex implementation or disruption to your operations.
