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Subchapter 7. General Industry Safety Orders
Group 1. General Physical Conditions and Structures Orders
Introduction

§3203. Injury and Illness Prevention Program.

(a) Effective July 1, 1991, every employer shall establish, implement and maintain an effective Injury and Illness Prevention Program (Program). The Program shall be in writing and, shall, at a minimum:

(1) Identify the person or persons with authority and responsibility for implementing the Program.

(2) Include a system for ensuring that employees comply with safe and healthy work practices. Substantial compliance with this provision includes recognition of employees who follow safe and healthful work practices, training and retraining programs, disciplinary actions, or any other such means that ensures employee compliance with safe and healthful work practices.

(3) Include a system for communicating with employees in a form readily understandable by all affected employees on matters relating to occupational safety and health, including provisions designed to encourage employees to inform the employer of hazards at the worksite without fear of reprisal. Substantial compliance with this provision includes meetings, training programs, posting, written communications, a system of anonymous notification by employees about hazards, labor/management safety and health committees, or any other means that ensures communication with employees.

Exception: Employers having fewer than 10 employees shall be permitted to communicate to and instruct employees orally in general safe work practices with specific instructions with respect to hazards unique to the employees' job assignments as compliance with subsection (a)(3).

(4) Include procedures for identifying and evaluating work place hazards including scheduled periodic inspections to identify unsafe conditions and work practices. Inspections shall be made to identify and evaluate hazards:

(A) When the Program is first established;

Exception: Those employers having in place on July 1, 1991, a written Injury and Illness Prevention Program complying with previously existing section 3203.

(B) Whenever new substances, processes, procedures, or equipment are introduced to the workplace that represent a new occupational safety and health hazard; and

(5) Include a procedure to investigate occupational injury or occupational illness.

(6) Include methods and/or procedures for correcting unsafe or unhealthy conditions, work practices and work procedures in a timely manner based on the severity of the hazard:

(A) When observed or discovered; and,

(B) When an imminent hazard exists which cannot be immediately abated without endangering employee(s) and/or property, remove all exposed personnel from the area except those necessary to correct the existing condition. Employees necessary to correct the hazardous condition shall be provided the necessary safeguards.

(7) Provide training and instruction:

(A) When the program is first established;

Exception: Employers having in place on July 1, 1991, a written Injury and Illness Prevention Program complying with the previously existing Accident Prevention Program in Section 3203.

(B) To all new employees;

(D) Whenever new substances, processes, procedures or equipment are introduced to the workplace and represent a new hazard;

(E) Whenever the employer is made aware of a new or previously unrecognized hazard; and,

(F) For supervisors to familiarize themselves with the safety and health hazards to which employees under their immediate direction and control may be exposed.

(8) Allow employee access to the Program.

(A) As used in this subsection:

1. The term “access” means the right and opportunity to examine and receive a copy.

2. The term “designated representative” means any individual or organization to whom an employee gives written authorization to exercise a right of access. A recognized or certified collective bargaining agent shall be treated automatically as a designated representative for the purpose of access to the Program.

3. The term “written authorization” means a request provided to the employer containing the following information:

a. The name and signature of the employee authorizing a designated representative to access the Program on the employee's behalf;

b. The date of the request;

c. The name of the designated representative (individual or organization) authorized to receive the Program on the employee's behalf; and

d. The date upon which the written authorization will expire (if less than one (1) year).

(B) The employer shall provide access to the Program by doing one of the following:

1. Provide access in a reasonable time, place, and manner, but in no event later than five (5) business days after the request for access is received from an employee or designated representative.

a. Whenever an employee or designated representative requests a copy of the Program, the employer shall provide the requester a printed copy of the Program, unless the employee or designated representative agrees to receive an electronic copy of the Program.

b. One printed copy of the Program shall be provided free of charge. If the employee or designated representative requests additional copies of the Program within one (1) year of the previous request and the Program has not been updated with new information since the prior copy was provided, the employer may charge reasonable, non-discriminatory reproduction costs (per Section 3204(e)(1)(E)) for the additional copies. or,

2. Provide unobstructed access through a company server or website, which allows an employee to review, print, and email the current version of the Program. Unobstructed access means that the employee, as part of his or her regular work duties, predictably and routinely uses the electronic means to communicate with management or coworkers.

(C) The Program provided to the employee or designated representative need not include any of the records of the steps taken to implement and maintain the written Program.

(D) If an employer has distinctly different and separate operations with distinctly separate and different Programs, the employer may limit access to the Program (or Programs) applicable to the employee requesting it.

(E) The employer shall communicate the right and procedure to access the Program to all employees.

(F) Nothing in this section is intended to preclude employees and collective bargaining agents from collectively bargaining to obtain access to information in addition to that available under this section.

(b) Records of the steps taken to implement and maintain the Program shall include:

(1) Records of scheduled and periodic inspections required by subsection (a)(4) to identify unsafe conditions and work practices, including person(s) conducting the inspection, the unsafe conditions and work practices that have been identified and action taken to correct the identified unsafe conditions and work practices. These records shall be maintained for at least one (1) year; and

Exception: Employers with fewer than 10 employees may elect to maintain the inspection records only until the hazard is corrected.

(2) Documentation of safety and health training required by subsection (a)(7) for each employee, including employee name or other identifier, training dates, type(s) of training, and training providers. This documentation shall be maintained for at least one (1) year.

EXCEPTION NO. 1:Employers with fewer than 10 employees can substantially comply with the documentation provision by maintaining a log of instructions provided to the employee with respect to the hazards unique to the employees' job assignment when first hired or assigned new duties.

EXCEPTION NO. 2: Training records of employees who have worked for less than one (1) year for the employer need not be retained beyond the term of employment if they are provided to the employee upon termination of employment.

EXCEPTION NO. 3: For Employers with fewer than 20 employees who are in industries that are not on a designated list of high-hazard industries established by the Department of Industrial Relations (Department) and who have a Workers' Compensation Experience Modification Rate of 1.1 or less, and for any employers with fewer than 20 employees who are in industries on a designated list of low-hazard industries established by the Department, written documentation of the Program may be limited to the following requirements:

A. Written documentation of the identity of the person or persons with authority and responsibility for implementing the program as required by subsection (a)(1).

B. Written documentation of scheduled periodic inspections to identify unsafe conditions and work practices as required by subsection (a)(4).

C. Written documentation of training and instruction as required by subsection (a)(7).

ExceptionNo. 4: Local governmental entities (any county, city, city and county, or district, or any public or quasi-public corporation or public agency therein, including any public entity, other than a state agency, that is a member of, or created by, a joint powers agreement) are not required to keep records concerning the steps taken to implement and maintain the Program.

Note1: Employers determined by the Division to have historically utilized seasonal or intermittent employees shall be deemed in compliance with respect to the requirements for a written Program if the employer adopts the Model Program prepared by the Division and complies with the requirements set forth therein.

Note2: Employers in the construction industry who are required to be licensed under Chapter 9 (commencing with Section 7000) of Division 3 of the Business and Professions Code may use records relating to employee training provided to the employer in connection with an occupational safety and health training program approved by the Division, and shall only be required to keep records of those steps taken to implement and maintain the program with respect to hazards specific to the employee's job duties.

(c) Employers who elect to use a labor/management safety and health committee to comply with the communication requirements of subsection (a)(3) of this section shall be presumed to be in substantial compliance with subsection (a)(3) if the committee:

(1) Meets regularly, but not less than quarterly;

(2) Prepares and makes available to the affected employees, written records of the safety and health issues discussed at the committee meetings and, maintained for review by the Division upon request. The committee meeting records shall be maintained for at least one (1) year;

(3) Reviews results of the periodic, scheduled worksite inspections;

(4) Reviews investigations of occupational accidents and causes of incidents resulting in occupational injury, occupational illness, or exposure to hazardous substances and, where appropriate, submits suggestions to management for the prevention of future incidents;

(5) Reviews investigations of alleged hazardous conditions brought to the attention of any committee member. When determined necessary by the committee, the committee may conduct its own inspection and investigation to assist in remedial solutions;

(6) Submits recommendations to assist in the evaluation of employee safety suggestions; and

(7) Upon request from the Division, verifies abatement action taken by the employer to abate citations issued by the Division.

Note: Authority cited: Sections 142.3 and 6401.7, Labor Code. Reference: Sections 142.3 and 6401.7, Labor Code.

HISTORY

1. New section filed 4-1-77; effective thirtieth day thereafter (Register 77, No. 14). For former history, see Register 74, No. 43.

2. Editorial correction of subsection (a)(1) (Register 77, No. 41).

3. Amendment of subsection (a)(2) filed 4-12-83; effective thirtieth day thereafter (Register 83, No. 16).

4. Amendment filed 1-16-91; operative 2-15-91 (Register 91, No. 8).

5. Editorial correction of subsections (a), (a)(2), (a)(4)(A) and (a)(7) (Register 91, No. 31).

6. Change without regulatory effect amending subsection (a)(7)(F) filed 10-2-92; operative 11-2-92 (Register 92, No. 40).

7. Amendment of subsection (b)(2), ExceptionNo. 1, new ExceptionNo. 3 through ExceptionNo. 4, Note2, and amendment of subsection (c)(2) filed 9-13-94; operative 9-13-94 pursuant to Government Code section 11346.2 (Register 94, No. 37).

8. Editorial correction of subsections (a)(6)(A) and (a)(7)(A) (Register 95, No. 22).

9. Amendment of subsections (b)(1)-(2) and (c)(2) filed 6-1-95; operative 7-3-95 (Register 95, No. 22).

10. Editorial correction of subsection (a)(4) (Register 2002, No. 46).

11. New subsections (a)(8)-(a)(8)(F) filed 3-3-2020; operative 7-1-2020 (Register 2020, No. 10).

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