2022 US Code
Title 29 - Labor
Chapter 15 - Occupational Safety and Health
Sec. 670 - Training and employee education

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.

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.

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.

(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—

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—

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.

(Pub. L. 91–596, §21, Dec. 29, 1970, 84 Stat. 1612; Pub. L. 96–88, title V, §509(b), Oct. 17, 1979, 93 Stat. 695; Pub. L. 105–197, §2, July 16, 1998, 112 Stat. 638.)

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

"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.

Provisions 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.