YouTube Shooting Puts Spotlight on Workplace Violence in California

The shooting of several people at the Northern California headquarters of Google’s YouTube is prompting questions about what legal responsibilities employers have to keep their workers safe from outside threats.

Companies already have a responsibility to create an effective injury and illness prevention program to evaluate all workplace hazards, but California’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health is working on regulations specific to workplace violence.

That proposal was in the works prior to the shooting at YouTube on April 3, when Nasim Aghdam, a woman who made YouTube videos, shot three ...