Within 15 working days after receipt of any of the following notices, the Secretary shall notify the Commission of the receipt in writing and shall promptly furnish to the Executive Secretary of the Commission the original of any documents or records filed by the contesting party and copies of all other documents or records relevant to the contest:
(a) Notification that the employer intends to contest a citation or proposed penalty under section 10(a) of the Act, 29 U.S.C. 659(a); or
(b) Notification that the employer wishes to contest a notice of a failure to abate or a proposed penalty under section 10(b) of the Act, 29 U.S.C. 659(b); or
(c) A notice of contest filed by an employee or representative of employees with respect to the reasonableness of the abatement period under section 10(c) of the Act, 29 U.S.C. 659(c).
Failure to meet the 15-working day deadline to file a notice of contest results in the citation or notification of failure to abate becoming a final order of the Commission. Under extraordinary circumstances, the cited employer, an affected employee, or an authorized employee representative may seek relief from the final order pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 60, by promptly filing a request for such relief with the Commission's Executive Secretary, One Lafayette Centre, 1120 20th Street NW, Suite 980, Washington, DC 20036-3457. See Brancifort Builders, Inc., 9 BNA OSHC 2113, 2116-17 (1981).