New retail worker safety law in New York mandates panic buttons at large retailers
Retailers in New York State have only six months to be in compliance with most of the provisions of a new law designed to enhance workplace safety for retail workers.
On Sept. 4, New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed the Retail Worker Safety Act (RWSA) into law. The new law requires corporate retail employers with more than 10 employees to adopt a violence prevention plan and train workers in de-escalation and active shooters, effective March 1, 2025.
It also requires retail employers with more than 500 employees statewide to install panic buttons throughout the workplace by Jan. 1, 2027. (See end of article for more information on the new requirements.)
The requirement to add panic buttons is the first of its kind among U.S. states, reported Reuters. California adopted similar but broader workplace requirements earlier this year. But it did not mandate panic buttons. The panic button requirement had been opposed by the National Retail Federation and the Food Industry Alliance of New York State, the report said.
The new law also requires retailers to maintain records of violent incidents for at least three years.
“Working to stop retail violence and theft has been a centerpiece of the Governor’s work this legislative session, and with her signature on the Retail Worker Safety Act, our members, retail workers across the state, and shoppers will be safer,” said Stuart Appelbaum, president of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU) which pushed for the legislation. “The preventative measures this law provides will help stop violence and harassment before it starts, but even more importantly, will more safely assist workers in getting help quickly in the event of an emergency.”
New York City has seen at least 40,900 complaints related to retail theft so far this year, a 2.7% increase since last year, according to the New York Police Department, Reuters reported. RWDSU conducted a survey of its members related to workplace violence and found the following:
•Over 80% of respondents are worried about an active shooter coming into their workplace.
•Nearly two-thirds of respondents experienced verbal harassment or intimidating conduct from a customer, co-worker, or manager within the last year.
•Only 7% of respondents agreed with the following statement: My employer has made changes in the workplace after a violent incident in order to make my work safer.
•Nearly three-quarters of respondents would feel safer if they received regular training on how to be safe in the workplace, including understanding the risks, how to reduce those risks and what to do in the event violence occurs.
Requirements
Under the new law, employers with 10 or more employees must do the following to create a safe work environment:
•Adopt a retail workplace violence prevention policy that identifies factors that put retail workers at risk of violence, and outlines methods to prevent violence.
•Provide annual training for employees on de-escalation tactics, active shooter drills, emergency procedures, use of panic buttons and more.
•The Department of Labor will develop templates for the violence prevention policy and trainings to facilitate employer compliance.
•All retail employers with more than 500 employees statewide must install panic buttons at easily accessible locations throughout the building, or offer wearable or mobile-phone based panic buttons to all employees. (The act prohibits wearable and mobile phone–based panic buttons from “be[ing] used to track employee locations except when the panic button is triggered.”)
