16VAC25-60-280. General contest proceedings applicable to the public sector.
A. Public employers may contest citations, abatement orders, or proposed penalties 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 receipt of the citation or abatement order. No mistake, inadvertence, or neglect on the part of the employer shall serve to extend the 15-working-day period during which the employer may contest.
B. The notice of contest shall indicate whether the public employer is contesting the alleged violations, the proposed penalty, or the abatement order.
C. Public employees may contest abatement orders by notifying the commissioner in the same manner as described at subsection A of this section.
D. The commissioner shall seek to resolve any controversies or issues rising from a citation issued to any public employer in an informal conference as described in 16VAC25-60-330.
E. The contest by a public employer shall not affect the requirements to post the citation as required at 16VAC25-60-40 unless and until the commissioner's or the court ruling on the contest vacates the citation. A contest of a citation may stay the time permitted for abatement pursuant to § 40.1-49.4 C of the Code of Virginia.
F. 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 § 6.3, eff. July 1, 1994; amended, Virginia Register Volume 35, Issue 3, eff. November 1, 2018.