Virginia Law

Part II. General Provisions

16VAC25-60-20. Jurisdiction.

All Virginia statutes, standards, and regulations pertaining to occupational safety and health shall apply to every employer, employee, and place of employment in the Commonwealth of Virginia except where:

1. The United States is the employer or exercises exclusive jurisdiction;

2. The federal Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 does not apply by virtue of § 4(b)(1) of that Act. The commissioner shall consider federal OSHA case law in determining where jurisdiction over specific working conditions has been preempted by the regulations of a federal agency; or

3. The employer is a public employer, as that term is defined in this chapter. In such cases, the Virginia laws, standards, and regulations governing occupational safety and health are applicable as stated, including 16VAC25-60-10, 16VAC25-60-30, 16VAC25-60-260, 16VAC25-60-280, 16VAC25-60-290, and 16VAC25-60-300.

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 § 2.1, eff. July 1, 1994; amended, Virginia Register Volume 35, Issue 3, eff. November 1, 2018.

16VAC25-60-30. Applicability to public employers.

A. All occupational safety and health standards adopted by the board shall apply to public employers and their employees in the same manner as to private employers.

B. All sections of this chapter shall apply to public employers and their employees. Where specific procedures are set out for the public sector, such procedures shall take precedence.

C. The following portions of Title 40.1 of the Code of Virginia shall apply to public employers: § 40.1-10; subdivisions A 1 and A 4, except that the reference to subsection G in subdivision A 4 does not apply, and subsections C, D, H, I, and J of § 40.1-49.4; and §§ 40.1-49.8, 40.1-51, 40.1-51.1, 40.1-51.2, 40.1-51.2:1, 40.1-51.3, 40.1-51.3:2, and 40.1-51.4:2.

D. Section 40.1-51.2:2 A of the Code of Virginia shall apply to the Commonwealth and its agencies except that the commissioner shall not bring action in circuit court in the event that a voluntary agreement cannot be obtained.

E. Sections 40.1-7, subdivision A 4, except that the reference to subsection G in subdivision A 4 does not apply, and subsections C, D, F, H, I, and J of § 40.1-49.4 of the Code of Virginia and §§ 40.1-49.9, 40.1-49.10, 40.1-49.11, 40.1-49.12, and 40.1-51.2:2 of the Code of Virginia shall apply to public employers other than the Commonwealth and its agencies.

F. If the commissioner determines that an imminent danger situation, as defined in § 40.1-49.4 F of the Code of Virginia, exists for an employee of the Commonwealth or one of its agencies, and if the employer does not abate that imminent danger immediately upon request, the Commissioner of Labor and Industry shall forthwith petition the governor to direct that the imminent danger be abated.

G. If the commissioner is unable to obtain a voluntary agreement to resolve a violation of § 40.1-51.2:1 of the Code of Virginia by the Commonwealth or one of its agencies, the Commissioner of Labor and Industry shall petition for redress in the manner provided in 16VAC25-60-300 B.

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 § 2.2, eff. July 1, 1994; amended, Virginia Register Volume 22, Issue 25, eff. September 21, 2006; Volume 34, Issue 6, eff. December 15, 2017; Volume 35, Issue 3, eff. November 1, 2018.

16VAC25-60-40. Notification and posting requirements.

Every employer shall post and keep posted any notice or notices, as required by the commissioner, including the Job Safety and Health Protection Poster which shall be available from the department. Such notices shall inform employees of their rights and obligations under the safety and health provisions of Title 40.1 of the Code of Virginia and this chapter. Violations of notification or posting requirements are subject to citation and penalty.

1. Such notice or notices, including all citations, notices of contest, petitions for variances or extensions of abatement periods, orders, and other documents of which employees are required to be informed by the employer under statute or by this chapter, shall be delivered by the employer to any authorized employee representative, and shall be posted at a conspicuous place where notices to employees are routinely posted and shall be kept in good repair and in unobstructed view. The document must remain posted for 10 working days unless a different period is prescribed elsewhere in Title 40.1 of the Code of Virginia or this chapter.

2. A citation issued to an employer, or a copy of it, shall remain posted in a conspicuous place and in unobstructed view at or near each place of alleged violation for three working days or until the violation has been abated, whichever is longer.

3. A copy of any written notice of contest shall remain posted until all proceedings concerning the contest have been completed.

4. Upon receipt of a subpoena, the employer shall use the methods set forth in this section to further notify his employees and any authorized employee representative of their rights to party status. This written notification shall include both the date, time and place set for court hearing, and any subsequent changes to hearing arrangements. The notification shall remain posted until commencement of the hearing or until an earlier disposition.

Statutory Authority

§§ 40.1-6 and 40.1-22 of the Code of Virginia.

Historical Notes

Derived from VR425-02-95 § 2.3, eff. July 1, 1994; amended, Virginia Register Volume 22, Issue 25, eff. September 21, 2006.

16VAC25-60-50. (Repealed.)

Historical Notes

Derived from VR425-02-95 §§ 2.4 through 2.6, eff. July 1, 1994; amended, Virginia Register Volume 11, Issue 20, eff. August 1, 1995; repealed, Virginia Register Volume 18, Issue 5, eff. December 31, 2001.

16VAC25-60-80. Access to employee medical and exposure records.

A. An employee and his authorized representative shall have access to his exposure and medical records required to be maintained by the employer.

B. When required by a standard, a health care professional under contract to the employer or employed by the employer shall have access to the exposure and medical records of an employee only to the extent necessary to comply with the requirements of the standard and shall not disclose or report without the employee's express written consent to any person within or outside the workplace except as required by the standard.

C. Under certain circumstances it may be necessary for the commissioner to obtain access to employee exposure and medical records to carry out statutory and regulatory functions. However, due to the substantial personal privacy interests involved, the commissioner shall seek to gain access to such records only after a careful determination of the need for such information and only with appropriate safeguards described at 29 CFR 1913.10(i) in order to protect individual privacy. In the event that the employer requests the commissioner to wait 24 hours for the presence of medical personnel to review the records, the commissioner will do so on presentation of an affidavit that the employer has not and will not modify or change any of the records. The commissioner's examination and use of this information shall not exceed that which is necessary to accomplish the purpose for access. Personally identifiable medical information shall be retained only for so long as is needed to carry out the function for which it was sought. Personally identifiable information shall be kept secure while it is being used and shall not be released to other agencies or to the public except under certain narrowly defined circumstances outlined at 29 CFR 1913.10(m).

D. In order to implement the policies described in subsection C of this section, the rules and procedures of 29 CFR Part 1913.10, Rules of Agency Practice and Procedure Concerning Access to Employee and Medical Records, are hereby expressly incorporated by reference. When these rules and procedures are applied to the commissioner the following federal terms should be considered to read as below:

Statutory Authority

§§ 40.1-6 and 40.1-22 of the Code of Virginia.

Historical Notes

Derived from VR425-02-95 § 2.7, eff. July 1, 1994; amended, Virginia Register Volume 11, Issue 20, eff. August 1, 1995; Volume 22, Issue 25, eff. September 21, 2006.

16VAC25-60-90. Release of information and disclosure pursuant to requests under the Virginia Freedom of Information Act and subpoenas.

A. Pursuant to the Virginia Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) (§ 2.2-3700 et seq. of the Code of Virginia) and with the exceptions stated in subsections B through H of this section, employers, employees and their representatives shall have access to information gathered in the course of an inspection.

B. Interview statements of employers, owners, operators, agents, or employees given to the commissioner pursuant to § 40.1-49.8 of the Code of Virginia are confidential. Pursuant to the requirements set forth in § 40.1-11 of the Code of Virginia, individuals shall have the right to request a copy of their own interview statements.

C. All file documents contained in case files that are under investigation, and where a citation has not been issued, are not disclosable until:

1. The decision has been made not to issue citations; or

2. Six months has lapsed following the occurrence of an alleged violation.

D. Issued citations, orders of abatement, and proposed penalties are public documents and are releasable upon a written request. All other file documents in cases where a citation has been issued are not disclosable until the case is a final order of the commissioner or the court, except that once a copy of file documents in a contested case has been provided to legal counsel for the employer in response to a request for discovery, or to a third party in response to a subpoena duces tecum, such documents shall be releasable upon a written request, subject to the exclusions in this section and the Virginia Freedom of Information Act.

E. Information required to be kept confidential by law shall not be disclosed by the commissioner or by any employee of the department. In particular, the following specific information is deemed to be nondisclosable:

1. The identity of and statements of an employee or employee representative who has complained of hazardous conditions to the commissioner;

2. The identities of employers, owners, operators, agents, or employees interviewed during inspections and their interview statements;

3. Employee medical and personnel records obtained during VOSH inspections. Such records may be released to the employee or his duly authorized representative upon a written and endorsed request; and

4. Employer trade secrets, commercial, and financial data.

F. The commissioner may decline to disclose a document that is excluded from the disclosure requirements of the Virginia FOIA, particularly documents and evidence related to criminal investigations, writings protected by the attorney-client privilege, documents compiled for use in litigation, and personnel records.

G. An effective program of investigation and conciliation of complaints of discrimination requires confidentiality. Accordingly, disclosure of records of such complaints, investigations, and conciliations will be presumed to not serve the purposes of Title 40.1 of the Code of Virginia, except for statistical and other general information that does not reveal the identities of particular employers or employees.

H. All information gathered through participation in consultation services or training programs of the department shall be withheld from disclosure except for statistical data that does not identify individual employers.

I. All information gathered through participation in voluntary protection programs of the department pursuant to § 40.1-49.13 of the Code of Virginia shall be withheld from disclosure except for statistical data that does not identify individual employers and for the following:

1. Participant applications and amendments, onsite evaluation reports, and annual self-evaluations; and

2. Agency staff correspondence containing recommendations to the commissioner, approval letters, notifications to compliance staff removing the participants from the general inspection list, and related formal correspondence.

J. The commissioner, in response to a subpoena, order, or other demand of a court or other authority in connection with a proceeding to which the department is not a party, shall not disclose any information or produce any material acquired as part of the performance of his official duties or because of his official status without the approval of the Commissioner of Labor and Industry.

K. The commissioner shall disclose information and statistics gathered pursuant to the enforcement of Virginia's occupational safety and health laws, standards, and regulations where it has been determined that such a disclosure will serve to promote the safety, health, and welfare of employees. Any person requesting disclosure of such information and statistics should include in his written request any information that will aid the commissioner in this determination.

Statutory Authority

§§ 40.1-6 and 40.1-22 of the Code of Virginia.

Historical Notes

Derived from VR425-02-95 § 2.8, eff. July 1, 1994; amended, Virginia Register Volume 22, Issue 25, eff. September 21, 2006; Volume 29, Issue 5, eff. December 5, 2012; Volume 34, Issue 6, eff. December 15, 2017.

16VAC25-60-100. Complaints.

A. An employee or other person who believes that a safety or health hazard exists in a workplace may request an inspection by giving notice to the commissioner.

B. For purposes of this section and § 40.1-51.2(b) of the Code of Virginia, the representative(s) that will be recognized as authorized to act for employees can be:

1. A representative of the employee bargaining unit;

2. Any member of the employee's immediate family acting on behalf of the employee; or

3. A lawyer or physician retained by the employee.

C. A written complaint may be preceded by an oral complaint at which time the commissioner will either give instructions for filing the written complaint or provide forms for that purpose. Section 40.1-51.2(b) of the Code of Virginia stipulates that the written complaint follow an oral complaint by no more than two working days. However, if an oral complaint gives the commissioner reasonable grounds to believe that a serious condition or imminent danger situation exists, the commissioner may cause an inspection to be conducted as soon as possible without waiting for a written complaint.

D. A complaint should allege that a violation of safety and health laws, standards, rules, or regulations has taken place. The violation or hazard should be described with reasonable particularity.

E. A complaint will be evaluated to determine whether there are reasonable grounds to believe that the violation or hazard complained of exists.

1. If the commissioner determines that there are no reasonable grounds for believing that the violation or hazard exists, the employer and the complainant shall be informed in writing of the reasons for this determination.

2. An employee or authorized representative may obtain review of the commissioner's determination that no reasonable grounds for believing that the violation or hazard exists by submitting a written statement of his position with regard to the issue. Upon receipt of such written statement a further review of the matter will be made which may include a requested written statement of position from the employer, further discussions with the complainant or an informal conference with complainant or employer if requested by either party. After review of the matter, the commissioner shall affirm, modify or reverse the original determination and furnish the complainant and the employer written notification of his decision.

F. The commissioner's response to a complaint will either be in the form of an onsite inspection or an investigation that does not involve onsite response by the commissioner.

1. Onsite inspections will normally be conducted in response to complaints alleging the following:

a. The complaint was reduced to writing, is signed by a current employee or employee representative, and states the reason for the inspection request with reasonable particularity. In addition, there are reasonable grounds to believe that a violation of a safety or health standard has occurred;

b. Imminent danger hazard;

c. Serious hazard, which in the discretion of the commissioner requires an onsite inspection;

d. Permanently disabling injury or illness related to a hazard potentially still in existence;

e. The establishment has a significant history of noncompliance with VOSH laws and standards;

f. The complaint identifies an establishment or an alleged hazard covered by a local or national emphasis inspection program;

g. A request from a VOSH/OSHA discrimination investigator to conduct an inspection in response to a complaint initially filed with the investigator; or

h. The employer fails to provide an adequate response to a VOSH investigation contact, or the complainant provides evidence that the employer's response is false, incorrect, incomplete or does not adequately address the hazard.

2. A complaint investigation, which does not involve onsite activity, shall normally be conducted for all complaints that do not meet the criteria listed in subdivision 1 of this subsection.

3. The commissioner reserves the right, for good cause shown, to initiate an inspection with regard to certain complaints that do not meet the criteria listed in subdivision 1 of this subsection; as well as to decline to conduct an inspection and instead conduct an investigation, for good cause shown, when certain complaints are found to otherwise meet the criteria listed in subdivision 1 of this subsection.

G. If there are several complaints to be investigated, the commissioner may prioritize them by considering such factors as the gravity of the danger alleged and the number of exposed employees.

H. At the beginning of the inspection the employer shall be provided with a copy of the written complaint. The complainant's name shall be deleted and any other information which would identify the complainant shall be reworded or deleted so as to protect the complainant's identity.

I. An inspection pursuant to a complaint may cover the entire operation of the employer, particularly if it appears to the commissioner that a full inspection is warranted. However, if there has been a recent inspection of the worksite or if there is reason to believe that the alleged violation or hazard concerns only a limited area or aspect of the employer's operation, the inspection may be limited accordingly.

J. After an inspection based on a complaint, the commissioner shall inform the complainant in writing whether a citation has been issued and briefly set forth the reasons if not. The commissioner shall provide the complainant with a copy of any resulting citation issued to the employer.

Statutory Authority

§§ 40.1-6 and 40.1-22 of the Code of Virginia.

Historical Notes

Derived from VR425-02-95 § 2.9, eff. July 1, 1994; amended, Virginia Register Volume 22, Issue 25, eff. September 21, 2006.

16VAC25-60-110. Whistleblower discrimination; discharge or retaliation; remedy for retaliation.

A. In carrying out his duties under § 40.1-51.2:2 of the Code of Virginia, the commissioner shall consider case law, regulations, and formal policies of federal OSHA. An employee's engagement in activities protected by Title 40.1 does not automatically render him immune from discharge or discipline for legitimate reasons. Termination or other disciplinary action may be taken for a combination of reasons, involving both discriminatory and nondiscriminatory motivations. In such a case, a violation of § 40.1-51.2:1 of the Code of Virginia has occurred if the protected activity was a substantial reason for the action, or if the discharge or other adverse action would not have taken place "but for" engagement in protected activity.

Employee whistleblower activities, protected by § 40.1-51.2:1 of the Code of Virginia, include:

1. Making any complaint to his employer or any other person under or related to the safety and health provisions of Title 40.1 of the Code of Virginia;

2. Instituting or causing to be instituted any proceeding under or related to the safety and health provisions of Title 40.1 of the Code of Virginia;

3. Testifying or intending to testify in any proceeding under or related to the safety and health provisions of Title 40.1 of the Code of Virginia;

4. Cooperating with or providing information to the commissioner during a worksite inspection; or

5. Exercising on his own behalf or on behalf of any other employee any right afforded by the safety and health provisions of Title 40.1 of the Code of Virginia.

Discharge or discipline of an employee who has refused to complete an assigned task because of a reasonable fear of injury or death will be considered retaliatory only if the employee has sought abatement of the hazard from the employer and the statutory procedures for securing abatement would not have provided timely protection. The condition causing the employee's apprehension of death or injury must be of such a nature that a reasonable person, under the circumstances then confronting the employee, would conclude that there is a real danger of death or serious injury and that there is insufficient time, due to the urgency of the situation, to eliminate the danger through resort to regular statutory enforcement. In addition, in such circumstances, the employee, where possible, must also have sought from his employer, and been unable to obtain, an abatement of the dangerous condition.

Disciplinary measures taken by employers solely in response to employee refusal to comply with appropriate safety rules and regulations shall not be regarded as retaliatory action prohibited by § 40.1-51.2:1 of the Code of Virginia.

B. A complaint pursuant to § 40.1-51.2:2 of the Code of Virginia may be filed by the employee himself or anyone authorized to act in his behalf.

The investigation of the commissioner shall include an opportunity for the employer to furnish the commissioner with any information relevant to the complaint.

An attempt by an employee to withdraw a previously filed complaint shall not automatically terminate the investigation of the commissioner. Although a voluntary and uncoerced request from the employee that his complaint be withdrawn shall receive due consideration, it shall be the decision of the commissioner whether further action is necessary to enforce the statute.

The filing of a retaliation complaint with the commissioner shall not preclude the pursuit of a remedy through other channels. Where appropriate, the commissioner may postpone his investigation or defer to the outcome of other proceedings.

C. Subsection A of § 40.1-51.2:2 of the Code of Virginia provides that the commissioner shall bring an action in circuit court when it is determined that a violation of § 40.1-51.2:1 of the Code of Virginia has occurred and a voluntary agreement could not be obtained. Subsection A of § 40.1-51.2:2 further provides that the court "shall have jurisdiction, for cause shown, to restrain violations and order appropriate relief." The court's authority to restrain violations and order appropriate relief includes the ability to issue penalties or fines to the employer that would be payable to the employee. In determining the appropriate level of penalties or fines, the court may look to subsections G, H, I, and J of § 40.1-49.4 of the Code of Virginia.

Statutory Authority

§§ 40.1-6 and 40.1-22 of the Code of Virginia.

Historical Notes

Derived from VR425-02-95 § 2.10, eff. July 1, 1994; amended, Virginia Register Volume 34, Issue 6, eff. December 15, 2017.