2022 California Code
Labor Code - LAB
DIVISION 5 - SAFETY IN EMPLOYMENT
PART 1 - OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH
CHAPTER 1 - Jurisdiction and Duties
Section 6317.

6317. (a) If, upon inspection or investigation, the division believes that an employer has violated Section 25910 of the Health and Safety Code, any standard, rule, order, or regulation established pursuant to Chapter 6 (commencing with Section 140) of Division 1 of the Labor Code, or any standard, rule, order, or regulation established pursuant to this part, it 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 code, standard, rule, regulation, or order alleged to have been violated. In addition, the citation shall fix a reasonable time for the abatement of the alleged violation. The period specified for abatement shall not commence running until the date the citation or notice is received by certified mail and the certified mail receipt is signed, or if not signed, the date the return is made to the post office. If the division officially and directly delivers the citation or notice to the employer, the period specified for abatement shall commence running on the date of the delivery.

(b) (1) If an employer has multiple worksites and either of the following is true, there shall be a rebuttable presumption that a violation is enterprise-wide:

(A) The employer has a written policy or procedure that violates Section 25910 of the Health and Safety Code, any standard, rule, order, or regulation established pursuant to Chapter 6 (commencing with Section 140) of Division 1, or any standard, rule, order, or regulation established pursuant to this division. Such a written policy or procedure shall not form the basis for an enterprise-wide citation if it violates an emergency regulation adopted or amended within the last 30 days, commencing from the date of the vote of the standards board to adopt or amend the emergency regulation.

(B) The division has evidence of a pattern or practice of the same violation or violations committed by that employer involving more than one of the employer’s worksites.

(2) If the employer fails to rebut a presumption raised pursuant to paragraph (1), the division may issue an enterprise-wide citation requiring enterprise-wide abatement.

(3) Abatement pending appeal of an enterprise-wide citation shall be stayed only as permitted by Section 362 of Title 8 of the California Code of Regulations, as that regulation existed as of January 1, 2021.

(4) This subdivision shall not apply to the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, the California Correctional Health Care Services, or the State Department of State Hospitals.

(c) (1) A “notice” in lieu of citation may be issued with respect to violations found in an inspection or investigation which meet either of the following requirements:

(A) The violations do not have a direct relationship upon the health or safety of an employee.

(B) The violations do not have an immediate relationship to the health or safety of an employee, and are of a general or regulatory nature. A notice in lieu of a citation may be issued only if the employer agrees to correct the violations within a reasonable time, as specified by the division, and agrees not to appeal the finding of the division that the violations exist. A notice issued pursuant to this paragraph shall have the same effect as a citation for purposes of establishing repeat violations or a failure to abate. Every notice shall clearly state the abatement period specified by the division, that the notice may not be appealed, and that the notice has the same effect as a citation for purposes of establishing a repeated violation or a failure to abate. The employer shall indicate agreement to the provisions and conditions of the notice by their signature on the notice.

(2) A notice shall not be issued in lieu of a citation if either of the following are true:

(A) The violations are serious, repeated, willful, or arise from a failure to abate.

(B) The number of first instance violations found in the inspection, other than serious, willful, or repeated violations, is 10 or more violations.

(3) The director shall prescribe guidelines for the issuance of these notices.

(d) The division may impose a civil penalty against an employer as specified in Chapter 4 (commencing with Section 6423) of this part.

(e) (1) A citation or notice shall not be issued by the division more than six months after the occurrence of the violation. For purposes of issuing a citation or notice for a violation of subdivision (b) or (c) of Section 6410, including any implementing related regulations, an “occurrence” continues until it is corrected, or the division discovers the violation, or the duty to comply with the violated requirement ceases to exist. Nothing in this subdivision is intended to alter the meaning of the term “occurrence” for violations of health and safety standards other than the recordkeeping requirements set forth in subdivision (b) or (c) of Section 6410, including any implementing related regulations.

(2) The director shall prescribe procedures for the issuance of a citation or notice.

(f) The division shall prepare and maintain records capable of supplying an inspector with previous citations and notices issued to an employer.

(Amended by Stats. 2021, Ch. 336, Sec. 1. (SB 606) Effective January 1, 2022.)