Interface Systems, a pioneering managed service provider delivering business security, actionable insights, and purpose-built networks for multi-location businesses, released a compliance guide to help New York retailers meet the requirements of the state’s Retail Worker Safety Act and its chapter amendment, Senate Bill S740.
The law’s 270-day grace period expired on June 4, 2025, and retailers that have not completed the mandated steps now face potential penalties and increased liability.
Six-step plan for retailers
Authored by Clay Campbell, Senior Vice President & General Counsel at Interface, the guide breaks down the law’s key mandates and outlines a clear, six-step plan retailers can begin implementing immediately:
- Publish a compliant workplace-violence policy in English and each employee’s primary language, including procedures for late shifts and cash handling, and a no-retaliation statement.
- Complete or update a location-specific risk assessment that scores each store on late hours, uncontrolled access, lone work, and past incidents. Then, rank sites and assign corrective action deadlines.
- Provide interactive training and communication at hire and at least annually (biennially for employers with fewer than 50 retail employees), and maintain signed training rosters aligned with payroll records.
- Deploy supporting technology by issuing and testing silent response buttons for chains with 500 or more employees statewide, pairing the devices with verified video, two-way audio, and live monitoring to reduce false alarms and speed response.
- Record and measure program data, storing the policy, assessments, training logs, alarm-test records, and police response times in a single repository while tracking incident rate, verified-alarm response time, training completion, and corrective-action completion.
- Stay inspection-ready by keeping all records current, accurate, and easily accessible. The New York Department of Labor may request documents after a complaint or major incident and can issue daily fines until violations are corrected.
Silent-button requirement
“Retailers that missed the deadline still have a path to compliance if they act quickly and follow a structured plan,” said Campbell. “This guide breaks the law down into six actionable steps that protect frontline employees and help businesses reduce their regulatory and legal risk.”
The compliance guide also explains how Interface Systems’ Remote Video Monitoring and Virtual Security Guard services support the silent-button requirement and offer audit-ready evidence of incident handling.
