A few weeks ago, a small business owner came over to my house to provide me with a quote to replace some of the single-paned windows for my aging house. After he completed the measurements of all the windows we hoped to replace, he sat down with us to explain the process. During the course of the conversation, I discovered he was not just the person measuring the windows; he was the owner of the business. I commended him for his entrepreneurial spirit and said that I can somewhat relate to the complexities of running a business, especially in California with the glut of new bills passed to remain compliant. Since some experts say that 70%-90% of all communication is nonverbal, his look said he had no idea what I was talking about.
AB 506 Compliance
I felt bad bringing it up. I didn’t mean to stress him out. It can be challenging to remain on top of all the new laws passed and remain compliant if you run a church, non-profit, or even a small business in California. To bring his anxiety level down, I first mentioned church-specific bills like AB 506 (Child Abuse Protection) and the three keys to compliance:
- Screening (Live Scan)
- Training (all staff and volunteers working with children are mandated reports and require abuse and neglect training)
- Developing and implementing child abuse prevention policies and procedures.
I could see a look of relief on his face since his window company doesn’t work with children. Unfortunately, I couldn’t stop talking and mentioned how the church staff sometimes confuses AB 506 and SB 1343.
SB 1343
Where AB 506 sets standards to protect children from abuse, SB 1343 aims to eliminate workplace harassment. Harassment prevention training applies to all employers requiring employees to complete the certified training within six months of hire and must retake the training every two years. Supervisors require a much longer two-hour class, whereas non-supervisory employees need only one hour of training. He seemed confident he was compliant and asked if there was anything else. I said our church recently completed the policy and training for SB 553, known as the Workplace Violence Protection Plan.
SB 553
According to OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health), there were 10,280 violent incident reports from 301 hospital facilities from October 2022 through September 2023. The WVPP (Workplace Violence Protection Plan) aims to reduce these acts of violence through awareness (training), proper responses to the reports of violence or threats of violence, an emergency response plan, assessing the workplace, and record keeping. SB 553 requires annual training and re-assessing the workplace for areas to reduce areas where violence may occur.
Heat Illness Prevention in Indoor Places of Employment
I then asked if he had any thoughts on the latest indoor heat illness prevention issue since his installers work inside and outside, and he had little control over the temperature of other people’s homes. The scope of Cal/OSHA’s Title 8, section 3396, requires all California employers to establish, implement, and maintain an effective indoor heat illness prevention plan when indoor temperatures rise above 82°F. In addition to developing and implementing a plan, monitoring the weather, and assessing the temperature, employers must ensure workers have access to clean, cool, drinkable water at no cost and cool-down areas when temperatures rise.
At this point in our meeting, he said he had other customers to visit. He thanked me for considering his company for my window replacements and the interesting conversation about compliance.
Lawmakers passed these bills to protect others, like children and employees, and who can possibly argue against that? For many small businesses and churches, the issue isn’t a blatant disregard for authority or rebellion against complying; it’s more often than not a lack of knowing these laws are out there or how to comply with them. Most of the time, the State provides free resources, including sample policies and step-by-step instructions. Take advantage of these resources, become compliant, and create a safe and thriving workplace.
short url:
