HB 1810 — An Act providing for workplace violence prevention and emergency preparedness standards for retail employers and employees; imposing duties on the Department of Labor and Industry; and imposing penalties.

PRINTER'S NO.   2225

                     THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA



                         HOUSE BILL
                         No. 1810
                                                 Session of
                                                   2025

     INTRODUCED BY GUZMAN, HOHENSTEIN, HILL-EVANS, MAYES, WAXMAN AND
        SANCHEZ, AUGUST 18, 2025

     REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON LABOR AND INDUSTRY, AUGUST 19, 2025


                                      AN ACT
 1   Providing for workplace violence prevention and emergency
 2      preparedness standards for retail employers and employees;
 3      imposing duties on the Department of Labor and Industry; and
 4      imposing penalties.
 5      The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
 6   hereby enacts as follows:
 7   Section 1.   Short title.
 8      This act shall be known and may be cited as the Retail Worker
 9   Safety and Preparedness Act.
10   Section 2.   Definitions.
11      The following words and phrases when used in this act shall
12   have the meanings given to them in this section unless the
13   context clearly indicates otherwise:
14      "Covered location."      A permanent physical establishment that
15   is operated by a retail employer and open to the public in this
16   Commonwealth.
17      "Department."    The Department of Labor and Industry of the
18   Commonwealth.
19      "Larger facility."    A commercial or public premises that
 1   contains one or more distinct business entities and is operated
 2   under unified management or ownership, including an airport,
 3   sports venue, shopping mall or convention center.
 4      "Master operator."     The person or entity responsible for the
 5   overall security and emergency management operations of a larger
 6   facility.
 7      "Plan."     The workplace violence prevention plan required
 8   under section 3(a).
 9      "Retail employer."     A business entity that employs 15 or more
10   employees at a physical commercial location where goods or
11   services are sold directly to consumers.
12      "Workplace violence."     An act or threat of physical violence,
13   harassment, intimidation or similar disruptive behavior that
14   occurs at a retail workplace.
15   Section 3.     Workplace violence prevention plan.
16      (a)   Development.--A retail employer shall develop and
17   maintain a written workplace violence prevention plan. The plan
18   shall include all of the following:
19            (1)   Identification of potential workplace violence risks
20      specific to each covered location.
21            (2)   Procedures for responding to incidents of workplace
22      violence.
23            (3)   Designation of a supervisor or manager responsible
24      for implementation of the plan.
25            (4)   Emergency contact and evacuation information posted
26      clearly in employee-accessible areas.
27      (b)   Updates and access.--A retail employer shall review and
28   update the plan at least annually and shall make the plan
29   available to employees upon request.
30   Section 4.     Employee training requirements.

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 1      (a)   Requirements.--A retail employer shall provide annual
 2   training to employees on all of the following topics:
 3            (1)   Recognition of workplace violence or threats and
 4      appropriate responses.
 5            (2)   Procedures for deescalation and seeking assistance.
 6            (3)   Procedures for reporting incidents of workplace
 7      violence to a supervisor, manager or law enforcement
 8      official, as appropriate.
 9      (b)   Language accessibility.--A retail employer shall provide
10   training in a language understood by each employee and shall
11   make translated training materials available when necessary to
12   ensure comprehension.
13   Section 5.     Emergency communication devices.
14      (a)   Applicability.--Except as provided under subsection (d),
15   this section shall apply to a retail employer that operates a
16   covered location with 40 or more on-site employees.
17      (b)   Installation.--A retail employer shall install and
18   maintain panic buttons or similar emergency communication
19   devices at key frontline stations, including all of the
20   following:
21            (1)   Checkout counters.
22            (2)   Customer service desks.
23            (3)   Security posts or loss prevention offices.
24      (c)   Functionality.--A retail employer shall ensure that each
25   panic button or emergency communication device is configured to
26   immediately notify all of the following:
27            (1)   On-site managers or security personnel.
28            (2)   Local emergency services or an internal security
29      system with the capacity to escalate the alert to external
30      emergency responders.

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 1      (d)   Exception.--This section shall not apply to a covered
 2   location that is situated within a larger facility if a master
 3   operator is responsible for the security and emergency response
 4   plan for the larger facility and the retail employer does not
 5   control or maintain a separate emergency response plan for the
 6   covered location.
 7   Section 6.     Enforcement.
 8      (a)   Administration.--The department shall administer and
 9   enforce this act. For the purpose of administering and enforcing
10   this act, the department may:
11            (1)   develop sample plans, templates and guidance
12      materials for retail employers;
13            (2)   conduct inspections and request documentation to
14      verify compliance with this act; and
15            (3)   issue notices of noncompliance and require
16      corrective action.
17      (b)   Penalties.--The following shall apply to violations of
18   this act:
19            (1)   For a first violation, the department shall issue a
20      written warning and may require submission of a corrective
21      action plan.
22            (2)   For a second or subsequent violation occurring
23      within a 24-month period, the department may impose a civil
24      penalty not to exceed $2,000 per violation.
25      (c)   Compliance period.--During the first year after the
26   effective date of this subsection, the department shall
27   prioritize education and technical assistance before imposing a
28   penalty under subsection (b).
29      (d)   Appeals.--A decision by the department to enforce this
30   act under this section shall be subject to 2 Pa.C.S. Chs. 5

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1   Subch. A (relating to practice and procedure of Commonwealth
2   agencies) and 7 Subch. A (relating to judicial review of
3   Commonwealth agency action).
4   Section 7.   Regulations.
5      The department shall promulgate regulations necessary to
6   implement and enforce the provisions of this act within 180 days
7   of the effective date of this section.
8   Section 8.   Effective date.
9      This act shall take effect in one year.




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