New York Governor Kathy Hochul has signed the Retail Worker Safety Act (RSWA), mandating the installation of panic buttons in the workplaces of retailers with 500 or more employees nationwide. The buttons will need to be in accessible locations; retailers also will have the option to provide wearable panic buttons or deploy mobile phone-based alarms.
New York is the first state to require panic buttons, according to Reuters. California adopted workplace safety legislation earlier this year, but it didn’t have a panic button provision. In New York, this element of the law will take effect on Jan. 1, 2027.
The RSWA, which applies to retailers with at least 10 employees, also will require companies to assess potential workplace violation hazards; adopt written workplace violence prevention policies; and provide workplace violence prevention training, with these elements taking effect on March 1, 2025.
Additionally, retailers will need to train workers in violence prevention strategies including de-escalation tactics; active shooter drills; emergency procedures; and the use of security alarms, panic buttons and other emergency devices.
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