New York governor signs retail workplace safety law

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul on Thursday signed into law a bill requiring large retail outlets to provide workers with panic buttons, among other measures aimed at reducing violent incidents in stores.

S. 8358C and the accompanying A. 8947C, known collectively as the Retail Worker Safety Act, require retail employers to provide training and information to employees based on a model workplace violence prevention training program produced by the state’s Department of Labor.

The new law’s training requirements apply to businesses with at least 10 employees, and those businesses have 180 days to comply. Retail employers with 500 or more employees must provide access to a silent alarm for emergency assistance by Jan. 1, 2027.