Part III. Occupational Safety and Health Standards
16VAC25-60-120. General industry standards.
A. The occupational safety or health standards adopted as rules or regulations by the board either directly or by reference, from 29 CFR Part 1910 shall apply by their own terms to all employers and employees at places of employment covered by the Virginia State Plan for Occupational Safety and Health.
B. The employer shall comply with the manufacturer's specifications and limitations applicable to the operation, training, use, installation, inspection, testing, repair and maintenance of all machinery, vehicles, tools, materials and equipment, unless specifically superseded by a more stringent corresponding requirement in 29 CFR Part 1910. The use of any machinery, vehicle, tool, material or equipment that is not in compliance with any applicable requirement of the manufacturer is prohibited and shall either be identified by the employer as unsafe by tagging or locking the controls to render them inoperable or be physically removed from its place of use or operation.
Statutory Authority
§§ 40.1-6 and 40.1-22 of the Code of Virginia.
Historical Notes
Derived from VR425-02-95 § 3.1, eff. July 1, 1994; amended, Virginia Register Volume 22, Issue 25, eff. September 21, 2006; Volume 34, Issue 6, eff. December 15, 2017.
16VAC25-60-130. Construction industry standards.
A. The occupational safety or health standards adopted as rules or regulations by the Virginia Safety and Health Codes Board either directly, or by reference, from 29 CFR Part 1926 shall apply by their own terms to all employers and employees engaged in either construction work or construction related activities covered by the Virginia State Plan for Occupational Safety and Health.
B. The employer shall comply with the manufacturer's specifications and limitations applicable to the operation, training, use, installation, inspection, testing, repair and maintenance of all machinery, vehicles, tools, materials and equipment, unless specifically superseded by a more stringent corresponding requirement in 29 CFR Part 1926. The use of any machinery, vehicle, tool, material or equipment that is not in compliance with any applicable requirement of the manufacturer is prohibited, and shall either be identified by the employer as unsafe by tagging or locking the controls to render them inoperable or be physically removed from its place of use or operation.
C. For the purposes of the applicability of such Part 1926 standards, the key criteria utilized to make such a decision shall be the activities taking place at the worksite, not the primary business of the employer. Construction work shall generally include any building, altering, repairing, improving, demolishing, painting or decorating any structure, building, highway, or roadway and any draining, dredging, excavation, grading or similar work upon real property. Construction also generally includes work performed in traditional construction trades such as carpentry, roofing, masonry work, plumbing, trenching and excavating, tunneling, and electrical work. Construction does not include maintenance, alteration or repair of mechanical devices, machinery, or equipment, even when the mechanical device, machinery or equipment is part of a pre-existing structure.
D. The employer shall comply with the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) Work Area Protection Manual in lieu of the federal Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (Part VI of the MUTCD, 2009 Edition, Revision 1 dated May 2012 and Revision 2 dated May 2012, or Part VI of the MUTCD, Millennium Edition - referenced in 16VAC25-175-1926.200 and 16VAC25-175-1926.201) when working under a contract for construction, repair, or maintenance between the employer and the Commonwealth; agencies, authorities, or instrumentalities of the Commonwealth; or any political subdivision or public body of the Commonwealth when such contract stipulates employer compliance with the VDOT Work Area Protection Manual in effect at the time of contractual agreement.
E. Certain standards of 29 CFR Part 1910 have been determined by federal OSHA to be applicable to construction and have been adopted for this application by the board.
F. The standards adopted from 29 CFR Part 1910.19 and 29 CFR Part 1910.20 containing respectively, special provisions regarding air contaminants and requirements concerning access to employee exposure and medical records shall apply to construction work as well as general industry.
Statutory Authority
§ 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 § 3.2, eff. July 1, 1994; amended, Virginia Register Volume 22, Issue 25, eff. September 21, 2006; Volume 34, Issue 6, eff. December 15, 2017; Volume 36, Issue 4, eff. November 15, 2019.
16VAC25-60-140. Agriculture standards.
A. The occupational safety or health standards adopted as rules or regulations by the board either directly, or by reference, from 29 CFR Part 1910 and 29 CFR Part 1928 shall apply by their own terms to all employers and employees engaged in either agriculture or agriculture related activities covered by the Virginia State Plan for Occupational Safety and Health.
B. For the purposes of applicability of such Part 1910 and Part 1928 standards, the key criteria utilized to make a decision shall be the activities taking place at the worksite, not the primary business of the employer. Agricultural operations shall generally include any operation involved in the growing or harvesting of crops or the raising of livestock or poultry, or activities integrally related to agriculture, conducted by a farmer or agricultural employer on sites such as farms, ranches, orchards, dairy farms or similar establishments. Agricultural operations do not include construction work as described in subsection C of 16VAC25-60-130, nor do they include operations or activities substantially similar to those that occur in a general industry setting and are therefore not unique and integrally related to agriculture.
C. The employer shall comply with the manufacturer's specifications and limitations applicable to the operation, training, use, installation, inspection, testing, repair and maintenance of all machinery, vehicles, tools, materials and equipment, unless specifically superseded by a more stringent corresponding requirement in 29 CFR Part 1910 or 29 CFR Part 1928. The use of any machinery, vehicle, tool, material or equipment that is not in compliance with any applicable requirement of the manufacturer is prohibited and shall either be identified by the employer as unsafe by tagging or locking the controls to render them inoperable or be physically removed from its place of use or operation.
Statutory Authority
§§ 40.1-6 and 40.1-22 of the Code of Virginia.
Historical Notes
Derived from VR425-02-95 § 3.3, eff. July 1, 1994; amended, Virginia Register Volume 22, Issue 25, eff. September 21, 2006; Volume 34, Issue 6, eff. December 15, 2017.
16VAC25-60-150. Maritime standards.
A. The occupational safety or health standards adopted as rules or regulations by the board either directly, or by reference, from 29 CFR Part 1915, 29 CFR Part 1917, 29 CFR Part 1918, and 29 CFR Part 1919 shall apply by their own terms to all public sector employers and employees engaged in maritime related activities covered by the Virginia State Plan for Occupational Safety and Health.
B. The employer shall comply with the manufacturer's specifications and limitations applicable to the operation, training, use, installation, inspection, testing, repair and maintenance of all machinery, vehicles, tools, materials and equipment, unless specifically superseded by a more stringent corresponding requirement in Part 1915, 1917, 1918 or 1919. The use of any machinery, vehicle, tool, material or equipment that is not in compliance with any applicable requirement of the manufacturer is prohibited and shall either be identified by the employer as unsafe by tagging or locking the controls to render them inoperable or be physically removed from its place of use or operation.
Statutory Authority
§§ 40.1-6 and 40.1-22 of the Code of Virginia.
Historical Notes
Derived from VR425-02-95 § 3.4, eff. July 1, 1994; amended, Virginia Register Volume 22, Issue 25, eff. September 21, 2006; Volume 34, Issue 6, eff. December 15, 2017.
16VAC25-60-160. General duty.
Where a recognized hazard exists that is causing or likely to cause death or serious physical harm, and specific general industry, construction and agricultural standards do not apply or may not exist, the requirements of § 40.1-51.1(a) of the Code of Virginia shall apply to all employers covered by the Virginia State Plan for Occupational Safety and Health.
Statutory Authority
§ 40.1-22(5) of the Code of Virginia.
Historical Notes
Derived from VR425-02-95 § 3.5, eff. July 1, 1994.
16VAC25-60-170. Public participation in the adoption of standards.
Interested parties, e.g., employers, employees, employee representatives, and the general public, may offer written and oral comments in accordance with the requirements of the public participation guidelines of either the board or the department, as appropriate, regarding the adoption, alteration, amendment, or repeal of any rules or regulations by the board or the commissioner to further protect and promote the safety and health of employees in places of employment over which the board or the commissioner have jurisdiction.
Statutory Authority
§ 40.1-22(5) of the Code of Virginia.
Historical Notes
Derived from VR425-02-95 § 3.6, eff. July 1, 1994.
16VAC25-60-180. Response to judicial action.
A. Any federal occupational safety or health standard, or portion of them, adopted as rule or regulation by the board either directly, or by reference, and subsequently stayed by an order of any federal court will not be enforced by the commissioner until the stay has been lifted. Any federal standard which has been administratively stayed by OSHA will continue to be enforced by the commissioner until the stay has been reviewed by the board. The board will consider adoption or rejection of any federal administrative stay and will also subsequently review and then consider adoption or rejection of the lifting of such stays by federal OSHA.
B. The continued enforcement of any VOSH standard, or portion of it, which is substantively identical to a federal standard that has been vacated by an order of any federal court, shall be at the discretion of the commissioner until such time as the standard and related federal judicial action have been reviewed by the board. The board shall consider the revocation or the repromulgation of any such standard.
Statutory Authority
§ 40.1-22(5) of the Code of Virginia.
Historical Notes
Derived from VR425-02-95 § 3.7, eff. July 1, 1994.