NY Public Employer Workplace Violence Plan — Labor Law §27-b
Required of every NY public employer with 20+ permanent full-time employees. Effective since 2009. Includes the worksite evaluation, joint employee representative participation, training, and incident reporting required by §27-b — built for the public-sector context (collective bargaining, civil service framework, public records).
When this template is required
Required of every NY public employer with 20+ permanent full-time employees. Effective since 2009. Requires a written WVP program developed jointly with authorized employee representatives, written training, worksite evaluation, and incident reporting. Public employer scope: state, county, city, town, village, school district, public authority, public benefit corporation, BOCES.
Why this template
Public-employer-specific framework
§27-b applies ONLY to public employers. Private NY employers have separate mandates (HERO Act for airborne disease, Retail Worker Safety Act for retail violence). The plan is built for the public-sector context — collective bargaining unit involvement, civil service framework, FOIL implications for records.
Joint development with employees mandatory
§27-b requires the plan to be developed jointly with 'authorized employee representatives.' For unionized public employers, the union representatives participate. The plan documents the joint development process — meeting log, signoff, dissent procedure.
20-employee threshold
Applies to public employers with 20+ permanent full-time employees. Smaller public employers are exempt but may adopt voluntarily as best practice. The threshold determination is documented (which employee categories count, how the count is performed).
PESH inspection focus
NY's PESH program (Public Employer Safety and Health Bureau within NYS DOL) inspects public employer compliance with §27-b. PESH inspectors look for specific plan elements. The plan is structured around what PESH inspects, with a readiness checklist included.
What you receive
- NY §27-b WVP Plan (Word .docx)
- Authorized Employee Representative designation procedure
- Worksite evaluation procedure (joint with employees/union)
- Hazard assessment template by facility/department
- Risk factor identification matrix (Type 1-4 violence)
- Engineering and administrative controls hierarchy
- Annual training outline
- Incident reporting form
- Annual program review log
- Multi-employer worksite coordination procedure
- PESH inspection-readiness checklist
How you get it
This document is written and reviewed against the standard it cites, and it is ready now. The download link is emailed as soon as your payment clears.
Revisions included — if something about your operation changes what the document should say, reply to the delivery email and we will amend it.
Who buys this
- NY state agencies and authorities
- NY counties, cities, towns, villages
- NY school districts and BOCES
- NY public benefit corporations (Port Authority, MTA, etc.)
- NY public hospitals and health authorities
- NY public colleges (SUNY, CUNY, community colleges)
- NY transit and transportation authorities
Frequently asked
Who's covered by §27-b?
NY public employers with 20+ permanent full-time employees. 'Public employer' includes: state agencies and authorities, counties, cities, towns, villages, school districts (and BOCES), public benefit corporations (Port Authority, MTA, NYCHA, others), transportation authorities, public hospitals and health authorities, public colleges and universities (SUNY, CUNY, community colleges), public libraries. Private NY employers are NOT covered by §27-b.
What must the plan contain?
§27-b requires: (1) Statement of policy on workplace violence prevention; (2) Worksite evaluation identifying WV risk factors (developed jointly with employees); (3) Methods used by the employer to control identified risk factors; (4) Hierarchy of controls (engineering, work practice, administrative); (5) Incident reporting procedure; (6) Training program for employees; (7) Periodic re-evaluation of the program. The plan addresses each element.
Who is an 'authorized employee representative'?
For unionized employers: the union(s) representing the affected employees. For non-union public employers: employees selected through a method agreed upon by management and employees (typically elected representatives, often through the safety committee). The representative participates in the worksite evaluation and plan development. The plan documents the designation method.
How does this relate to HERO Act?
HERO Act (Labor Law §218-b) covers airborne infectious disease and applies to private NY employers. §27-b covers workplace violence and applies to public NY employers. They are parallel mandates for different audiences and different hazards. Many public-sector facilities also adopt HERO-Act-style infectious disease plans as best practice even though not directly required.
What's PESH?
Public Employer Safety and Health Bureau — a unit within NYS Department of Labor that enforces occupational safety and health for NY public employers. PESH operates instead of OSHA for public-sector workplaces (federal OSHA does not cover state and local government employees). PESH inspects, cites, and penalizes public employers for safety violations including §27-b non-compliance. The plan includes the PESH inspection-readiness checklist.