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ARTICLE · 27 MAY 2019

"Panic Button" Laws Make Their Way Across The U.S.

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Last August, we wrote about a Chicago ordinance requiring hotel employers to, among other things, equip hotel employees assigned to work in guestrooms or restrooms with portable emergency

United StatesEmployment and HR
Shawn Fabian
Shawn Fabian
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Last August, we wrote about a Chicago ordinance requiring hotel employers to, among other things, equip hotel employees assigned to work in guestrooms or restrooms with portable emergency contact devices. The emergency contact devices, referred to as "panic buttons," may be used to summon help if the employee reasonably believes that an ongoing crime, sexual harassment, sexual assault or other emergency is occurring in the employee's presence. The Chicago ordinance took effect July 1, 2018.

Shortly after the Chicago City Council approved the ordinance, AB 1761 was introduced in the California Assembly. While the bill passed the Assembly, it did not make its way into law. Similar to the Chicago ordinance, the California bill, among other things, would have required hotel employers to provide their employees with a panic button in order to summon immediate assistance when working alone in a guestroom.

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