Title 29, LaborRelease 119-110

§658 Citations

Title 29 › CHAPTER 15 — OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH › § 658

Last updated Sep 22, 2026|Official source

Summary

Inspectors must quickly give a written citation to an employer when they find a violation of safety or health rules, standards, or regulations. The citation must explain the problem in detail, point to the specific rule broken, and set a reasonable deadline to fix it. For very minor violations that do not affect safety or health, the Secretary may allow a notice instead of a formal citation. A citation or a copy must be posted where the violation happened, following the Secretary’s rules. No citation can be issued more than six months after the violation occurred.

Full Legal Text

Title 29, §658

Labor, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)Authority to issue; grounds; contents; notice in lieu of citation for de minimis violations

If, upon inspection or investigation, the Secretary or his authorized representative believes that an employer has violated a requirement of section 654 of this title, of any standard, rule or order promulgated pursuant to section 655 of this title, or of any regulations prescribed pursuant to this chapter, he shall with reasonable promptness issue a citation to the employer. Each citation shall be in writing and shall describe with particularity the nature of the violation, including a reference to the provision of the chapter, standard, rule, regulation, or order alleged to have been violated. In addition, the citation shall fix a reasonable time for the abatement of the violation. The Secretary may prescribe procedures for the issuance of a notice in lieu of a citation with respect to de minimis violations which have no direct or immediate relationship to safety or health.

(b)Posting

Each citation issued under this section, or a copy or copies thereof, shall be prominently posted, as prescribed in regulations issued by the Secretary, at or near each place a violation referred to in the citation occurred.

(c)Time for issuance

No citation may be issued under this section after the expiration of six months following the occurrence of any violation.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

29 U.S.C. § 658

Title 29, Labor

Last Updated

Sep 22, 2026

Release point: 119-110