(a) In order to carry out the purposes of this chapter, any authorized representative of the department or the local officer or agency authorized to enforce this chapter pursuant to subdivision (a) of Section 25180, may, at any reasonable hour of the day, or as authorized pursuant to Title 13 (commencing with Section 1822.50) of Part 3 of the Code of Civil Procedure, do any of the following:
(1) Enter and inspect a factory, plant, construction site, disposal site, transfer facility, or any establishment or any other place or environment where hazardous wastes are stored, handled, processed, disposed of, or being treated to recover resources.
(2) Carry out any sampling activities necessary to carry out this chapter, including obtaining samples from any individual or taking samples from the property of any person or from any vehicle in which any authorized representative of the department or the local officer or agency authorized to enforce this chapter pursuant to subdivision (a) of Section 25180 reasonably believes has transported or is transporting hazardous waste. However, upon request, split samples shall be given to the person from whom, or from whose property or vehicle, the samples were obtained.
(3) Stop and inspect any vehicle reasonably suspected of transporting hazardous wastes when accompanied by a uniformed peace officer in a clearly marked vehicle.
(4) Inspect and copy any records, reports, test results, or other information required to carry out this chapter.
(5) Photograph any waste, waste container, waste container label, vehicle, waste treatment process, waste disposal site, or condition constituting a violation of law found during an inspection.
(b) During the inspection, the inspector shall comply with all reasonable security, safety, and sanitation measures. In addition, the inspector shall comply with reasonable precautionary measures specified by the operator.
(c) (1) At the conclusion of the inspection, the inspector shall deliver to the operator of the facility or site a written summary of all violations alleged by the inspector. The inspector shall, prior to leaving the facility or site, deliver the written summary to the operator and shall discuss any questions or observations that the operator might have concerning the inspection.
(2) (A) The department or the local officer or agency authorized to enforce this chapter pursuant to subdivision (a) of Section 25180 shall prepare an inspection report which shall fully detail all observations made at the facility or site, all alleged violations, the factual basis for alleging those violations, and any corrective actions that should be taken by the operator of the facility or site. The department or the local officer or agency shall provide a copy of the inspection report to the operator within five days from the date of the preparation of the inspection report, and, in any event, not later than 65 days from the date of the inspection. The inspection report shall include all pertinent information, including, but not limited to, documents, photographs, and sampling results concerning the alleged violations. The department or the local officer or agency shall provide this information to the operator with the inspection report, including all photographs taken by the department in the course of the inspection and all laboratory results obtained as a result of the inspection. If sampling or laboratory results are not available at the time that the inspection report is prepared, that fact shall be contained in the report. Those results shall be provided to the operator within 10 working days of their receipt by the department or the local officer or agency.
(B) The time period required by subparagraph (A) may be extended as a result of a natural disaster, inspector illness, or other circumstances beyond the control of the department, or the local officer or agency, if the department or the local officer or agency so notifies the operator within 70 days from the date of the inspection and provides the inspection report to the operator in a timely manner after the reason for the delay is ended.
(C) Information from the inspection report, or the report itself, may be withheld by the department or the local officer or agency if necessary to a criminal investigation or other ongoing investigation in which the department or the local officer or agency determines, in writing, that disclosure of the information will result in a substantial probability of destruction of evidence, intimidation of witnesses, or other obstruction of justice.
(D) The department or the local officer or agency shall, at the operator’s request, discuss the inspection report with the operator and shall, upon the request of the operator, review the inspection report and determine whether the operator’s responses and documented or proposed corrective actions would be sufficient to comply with this chapter, or if any allegation of a violation is unwarranted.
(3) The operator of the site or facility which receives an inspection report pursuant to paragraph (2) shall submit a written response to the department or the local officer or agency authorized to enforce this chapter pursuant to subdivision (a) of Section 25180 within 60 days of receipt of the inspection report, or within a shorter time as the department or the local officer or agency may reasonably require, which shall include a statement documenting corrective actions taken by the operator or proposing corrective actions which will be taken by the operator, for purposes of compliance with this chapter, or disputing the existence of the violation. Upon receiving the written response from the operator, the department or the local officer or agency shall, upon the request of the operator, meet and confer with the operator regarding any questions, concerns, or comments that the operator may have concerning the inspection report. The department or the local officer or agency shall, within 30 working days from the date of receipt of a response which documents or proposes corrective action, or which disputes the existence of a violation, determine whether the corrective actions documented or proposed to be taken by the operator, if implemented as stated or proposed, will achieve compliance with this chapter, or whether a violation is still alleged, as applicable, and shall submit a written copy of that determination to the operator, in the form of a report of violation or other appropriate document. If the department or the local officer or agency fails to make the determination and submit a copy of the determination within 30 working days from the date of receipt of the operator’s response, the department or the local officer or agency may not seek penalties for continuing violations or any alleged new violations caused by the corrective actions taken by the operator, until the department or the local officer or agency submits the determination to the operator and provides the operator with a reasonable time in which to make necessary operational modifications which differ from those proposed to the department or local officer or agency.
(d) Whenever information, including, but not limited to, documents, photographs, and sampling results, has been gathered pursuant to subdivision (a), the department or the local officer or agency shall comply with all procedures established pursuant to Section 25173 and shall notify the person whose facility was inspected prior to public disclosure of the information, and, upon request of that person, shall submit a copy of any information to that person for the purpose of determining whether trade secret information, as defined in Section 25173, or facility security would be revealed by the information. “Public disclosure,” as used in this section, shall not include review of the information by a court of competent jurisdiction or an administrative law judge. That review may be conducted in camera at the discretion of the court or judge.
(Amended by Stats. 1995, Ch. 639, Sec. 22. Effective January 1, 1996.)