2016 South Carolina Code of Laws
Title 41 - Labor and Employment
CHAPTER 15 - OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY
Section 41-15-320. Penalties.

(a) Any employer who wilfully or repeatedly violates any occupational safety or health rule or regulation promulgated pursuant to this article may be assessed a civil penalty of not more than seventy thousand dollars for each violation.

(b) Any employer who has received a citation for a serious violation of an occupational safety or health rule or regulation promulgated pursuant to this article may be assessed a civil penalty of up to seven thousand dollars for each such violation.

(c) Any employer who has received a citation for a violation of an occupational safety or health rule or regulation or order promulgated pursuant to this article, and such violation is specifically determined not to be of a serious nature, may be assessed a civil penalty of up to seven thousand dollars for each such violation.

(d) Any employer who fails to correct a violation for which a citation has been issued under Section 41-15-280 within the period permitted for its correction (which period shall not begin to run until the date of the final order of the commissioner in the case of any review proceeding initiated by the employer in good faith and not solely for delay or avoidance of penalties), may be assessed a civil penalty of not more than seven thousand dollars for each day during which such failure or violation continues.

(e) Any employer who willfully violates any occupational safety or health rule or regulation promulgated pursuant to this article and that violation causes death to any employee shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, be punished by a fine of not more than ten thousand dollars or by imprisonment for not more than six months, or by both; except that if the conviction is for a violation committed after a first conviction of such person, punishment shall be by a fine of not more than twenty thousand dollars or by imprisonment for not more than one year, or by both.

(f) Any employer who violates any of the posting requirements, as prescribed under the provisions of this article, may be assessed a civil penalty of up to seven thousand dollars for each violation.

(g) Any person who gives advance notice of any inspection to be conducted under this article, without authority from the Director of the Department of Labor, Licensing, and Regulation or his designee, shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor and upon conviction shall be punished by a fine of not more than one thousand dollars or by imprisonment for not more than six months, or both.

(h) Whoever knowingly makes any false statement, representation, or certification in any application, record, report, plan or other document filed or required to be maintained pursuant to this article shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor and upon conviction shall be punished by a fine of not more than ten thousand dollars or by imprisonment for not more than six months, or both.

(i) For the purposes of this section, an occupational safety or health rule or regulation shall be deemed to be a rule or regulation promulgated by the Director of the Department of Labor, Licensing, and Regulation or his designee pursuant to Section 41-15-210 which requires conditions, or the adoption or use of one or more practices, means, methods, operations, or processes, necessary or appropriate to provide safe or healthful employment and places of employment.

(j) For the purposes of this section, a serious violation shall be deemed to exist in a place of employment if there is a substantial probability that death or serious physical harm could result from a condition which exists, or from one or more practices, means, methods, operations, or processes which have been adopted or are in use, in such place of employment unless the employer did not, and could not with the exercise of reasonable diligence, know of the presence of the violation.

(k) Except for items (e), (g) and (h) which establishes a misdemeanor over which the courts of general sessions have jurisdiction, all penalty assessments shall be made by the Commissioner.

(l) Any amounts collected under this section shall be turned over to the State Treasurer for deposit in the General Fund of the State.

HISTORY: 1962 Code Section 40-273; 1971 (57) 505; 1973 (58) 376; 1980 Act No. 443, Sections 1, 2; 1991 Act No. 25, Sections 1-5, eff April 24, 1991; 1993 Act No. 181, Section 977, eff February 1, 1994.

Editor's Note

Pursuant to Section 41-3-610, effective February 1, 1994, wherever the term Commissioner of Labor appears or is used, it shall be deemed to mean the Director of the Department of Labor, Licensing, and Regulation or his designee.

Effect of Amendment

The 1991 amendment in subsection (a) increased the maximum penalty from ten thousand to seventy thousand dollars, and in subsections (b), (c), (d) and (f) increased the maximum penalties from one thousand to seven thousand dollars.

The 1993 amendment in subsection (g) and (i), substituted "Director of the Department of Labor, Licensing, and Regulation or his designee" for "Commissioner of Labor".