OSHA REVIEW NEWS FLASH SEXUAL HARASSMENT TRAINING REQUIREMENT DELAYED UNTIL 2021

Last week, on August 30, Senate Bill (SB) 778 was signed into law in California, to take effect immediately, which delays the sexual harassment prevention training deadline to January 1, 2021. We have received many inquiries from concerned clients over the last few months about the new training requirement, and are now able to report the extension date.

Last year, SB 1343 was signed into law, which expanded the requirement to provide mandatory sexual harassment prevention training for California businesses with 50 or more employees to those with five or more employees. SB 1343 requires all California employers who employ five or more employees, including temporary or seasonal employees, to provide at least 2 hours of sexual harassment training to all supervisory employees and at least one hour of sexual harassment training to all nonsupervisory employees. SB 778 extends the due date for the training from January 1, 2020 to January 1, 2021, and thereafter once every two years. 

The provisions of both SB 778 and SB 1343 are enforced by the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH).

To meet the new sexual harassment prevention training requirements, employers may 1) develop their own training program, 2) utilize a third-party company that qualifies to provide the training under DFEH requirements, or 3) direct their employees to online training courses hosted on the DFEH’s website when they become available. According to the DFEH, free online training courses on the DFEH’s website are expected to be available in late Fall 2019. Note that OSHA Review is unable to provide this training because our program does not cover employment law and we are not considered to be a “qualified trainer” under SB 1342.

For more information on employment law, and/or to ensure compliance with general employment requirements in California, please refer to your employment attorney or your human resources department.

Since 1992, OSHA Review, Inc. has provided dental professionals with comprehensive programs to support regulatory compliance and infection control. We are a registered continuing education provider in the state of California, specializing in Dental Practice Act, infection control, and OSHA training.