PRIA, Government Policy, Made Personal

Summary

Health and Human Services must run education programs so there are enough trained people and so workers and employers know how to use safety and health equipment correctly. The Labor Department can run short training for staff who do safety work. Labor also must set up and oversee training for employers and employees on how to spot and prevent unsafe or unhealthy work, and give advice to employers, workers, and their groups. Both agencies will work with other federal agencies when needed. Labor must make agreements with states so employers can get help about safety rules and about voluntary safety efforts. States must offer on-site visits when an employer asks and include employees in those visits. These visits are separate from enforcement. If an employer does not fix an immediate danger right away or a serious hazard within a reasonable time, the state must tell enforcement. An employer that asks for a visit, fixes hazards on time, agrees to get another visit after major changes, and keeps up regular safety programs with worker and manager training may be exempt from inspections for 1 year after the visit, except for inspections requested by law or to investigate a death or an accident that sent three or more workers to the hospital. States should give priority to small businesses in high-hazard industries.

Title 29, §670

Labor, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)Authority of Secretary of Health and Human Services to conduct education and informational programs; consultations

The Secretary of Health and Human Services, after consultation with the Secretary and with other appropriate Federal departments and agencies, shall conduct, directly or by grants or contracts (1) education programs to provide an adequate supply of qualified personnel to carry out the purposes of this chapter, and (2) informational programs on the importance of and proper use of adequate safety and health equipment.

(b)Authority of Secretary of Labor to conduct short-term training of personnel

The Secretary is also authorized to conduct, directly or by grants or contracts, short-term training of personnel engaged in work related to his responsibilities under this chapter.

(c)Authority of Secretary of Labor to establish and supervise education and training programs and consult and advise interested parties

The Secretary, in consultation with the Secretary of Health and Human Services, shall (1) provide for the establishment and supervision of programs for the education and training of employers and employees in the recognition, avoidance, and prevention of unsafe or unhealthful working conditions in employments covered by this chapter, and (2) consult with and advise employers and employees, and organizations representing employers and employees as to effective means of preventing occupational injuries and illnesses.

(d)Compliance assistance program

(1)The Secretary shall establish and support cooperative agreements with the States under which employers subject to this chapter may consult with State personnel with respect to—

(A)the application of occupational safety and health requirements under this chapter or under State plans approved under section 667 of this title; and

(B)voluntary efforts that employers may undertake to establish and maintain safe and healthful employment and places of employment.

Such agreements may provide, as a condition of receiving funds under such agreements, for contributions by States towards meeting the costs of such agreements.

(2)Pursuant to such agreements the State shall provide on-site consultation at the employer’s worksite to employers who request such assistance. The State may also provide other education and training programs for employers and employees in the State. The State shall ensure that on-site consultations conducted pursuant to such agreements include provision for the participation by employees.

(3)Activities under this subsection shall be conducted independently of any enforcement activity. If an employer fails to take immediate action to eliminate employee exposure to an imminent danger identified in a consultation or fails to correct a serious hazard so identified within a reasonable time, a report shall be made to the appropriate enforcement authority for such action as is appropriate.

(4)The Secretary shall, by regulation after notice and opportunity for comment, establish rules under which an employer—

(A)which requests and undergoes an on-site consultative visit provided under this subsection;

(B)which corrects the hazards that have been identified during the visit within the time frames established by the State and agrees to request a subsequent consultative visit if major changes in working conditions or work processes occur which introduce new hazards in the workplace; and

(C)which is implementing procedures for regularly identifying and preventing hazards regulated under this chapter and maintains appropriate involvement of, and training for, management and non-management employees in achieving safe and healthful working conditions,

may be exempt from an inspection (except an inspection requested under section 657(f) of this title or an inspection to determine the cause of a workplace accident which resulted in the death of one or more employees or hospitalization for three or more employees) for a period of 1 year from the closing of the consultative visit.

(5)A State shall provide worksite consultations under paragraph (2) at the request of an employer. Priority in scheduling such consultations shall be assigned to requests from small businesses which are in higher hazard industries or have the most hazardous conditions at issue in the request.

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Amendments

1998—Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 105–197 added subsec. (d).

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Change of Name

“Secretary of Health and Human Services” substituted for “Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare” in subsecs. (a) and (c) pursuant to section 509(b) of Pub. L. 96–88 which is classified to section 3508(b) of Title 20, Education. Retention of Training Institute Course Tuition Fees by OSHAProvisions stating that notwithstanding 31 U.S.C. 3302, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration could retain up to $750,000 per fiscal year of training institute course tuition fees, otherwise authorized by law to be collected, and could utilize such sums for occupational safety and health training and education grants, were contained in Department of Labor Appropriations Act, 2006, Pub. L. 109–149, title I, Dec. 30, 2005, 119 Stat. 2839, and were repeated in provisions of subsequent appropriations acts which are not set out in the Code. Similar provisions were also contained in the following prior appropriations acts: Pub. L. 108–447, div. F, title I, Dec. 8, 2004, 118 Stat. 3118. Pub. L. 108–199, div. E, title I, Jan. 23, 2004, 118 Stat. 232. Pub. L. 108–7, div. G, title I, Feb. 20, 2003, 117 Stat. 303. Pub. L. 107–116, title I, Jan. 10, 2002, 115 Stat. 2182. Pub. L. 106–554, § 1(a)(1) [title I], Dec. 21, 2000, 114 Stat. 2763, 2763A–8. Pub. L. 106–113, div. B, § 1000(a)(4) [title I], Nov. 29, 1999, 113 Stat. 1535, 1501A–222. Pub. L. 105–277, div. A, § 101(f) [title I], Oct. 21, 1998, 112 Stat. 2681–337, 2681–343. Pub. L. 105–78, title I, Nov. 13, 1997, 111 Stat. 1474. Pub. L. 104–208, div. A, title I, § 101(e) [title I], Sept. 30, 1996, 110 Stat. 3009–233, 3009–239. Pub. L. 104–134, title I, § 101(d) [title I], Apr. 26, 1996, 110 Stat. 1321–211, 1321–217; renumbered title I, Pub. L. 104–140, § 1(a), May 2, 1996, 110 Stat. 1327. Pub. L. 103–333, title I, Sept. 30, 1994, 108 Stat. 2544.

§670 Training and Employee Education