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Virginia Administrative Code
Title 16. Labor And Employment
Agency 25. Safety And Health Codes Board
Chapter 60. Administrative Regulation for the Virginia Occupational Safety and Health Program
11/23/2024

16VAC25-60-270. Contest of citation or proposed penalty; general proceedings.

A. An employer to whom a citation, abatement order, or proposed penalty has been issued may contest the citation by notifying the commissioner in writing of the contest. The notice of contest must be mailed or delivered by hand within 15 working days from the receipt of the citation or proposed penalty. No mistake, inadvertence, or neglect on the part of the employer shall serve to extend the 15-working-day period in which the employer must contest.

B. The notice of contest shall indicate whether the employer is contesting the alleged violation, the proposed penalty or the abatement time.

C. Employees may contest abatement orders by notifying the commissioner in the same manner as described in subsection A of this section.

D. The employer's contest of a citation or proposed penalty shall not affect the citation posting requirements of 16VAC25-60-40 unless and until the court ruling on the contest vacates the citation.

E. When the commissioner has received written notification of a contest of citation or proposed penalty, he will attempt to resolve the matter by settlement, using the procedures of 16VAC25-60-330 and 16VAC25-60-340.

F. If the matter is not settled or it is determined that settlement does not appear probable, the commissioner will initiate judicial proceedings by referring the contested issues to the appropriate Commonwealth's Attorney and arranging for the filing of a bill of complaint and issuance of a subpoena to the employer.

G. A contest of the proposed penalty only shall not stay the time for abatement.

Statutory Authority

§§ 40.1-2.1, 40.1-6, and 40.1-22 of the Code of Virginia; Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (P.L. 91‑596).

Historical Notes

Derived from VR425-02-95 § 6.2, eff. July 1, 1994; amended, Virginia Register Volume 35, Issue 3, eff. November 1, 2018.

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