The NY HERO Act and Retail Worker Safety Act: What New York Employers Need

New York has two parallel workplace violence prevention regimes that employers must navigate: the NY HERO Act (Labor Law § 218-b) and the Retail Worker Safety Act (Labor Law § 27-e).

The NY HERO Act

The HERO Act requires private-sector employers to adopt a written workplace violence prevention policy and, for employers with 10+ employees, to establish a workplace violence prevention program. Training must be provided on hire and annually.

The Retail Worker Safety Act

Effective policy and training requirements began June 2, 2025 for retail employers with 10+ employees at a retail store. Key provisions include a written Retail Workplace Violence Prevention Policy, interactive training (annual for 50+ staff, biennial for 10–49), and workplace risk factor evaluations covering late-night hours, cash handling, working alone, and uncontrolled access.

The 2027 silent response button mandate

For retailers with 500 or more retail staff statewide, a Silent Response Button mandate takes effect January 1, 2027. Workers must have a mobile app, wearable, or fixed button to request immediate assistance — without alerting an assailant.

How The Sentry maps to New York law

The Sentry functions as a statutory Silent Response Button on the smartphones your staff already carry — satisfying the 2027 mandate without building wiring. It also distributes localized policies with digital signature, tracks training, and archives incident reports under NY Labor Law § 27-e.

Takeaways

• New York enforces through anonymous NYSDOL worker complaints (Form SH550).
• Large retailers must plan now for the 2027 silent response button deadline.
• A smartphone-based solution satisfies the mandate with no hardware procurement.

See our full New York compliance guide and book a demo to plan your rollout.