(a) The court of common pleas of the county where the place of employment is located shall have jurisdiction, upon petition of the Director of the Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation or his designee, to restrain any conditions or practices in any place of employment which are such that a danger exists which could reasonably be expected to cause death or serious physical harm immediately or before the imminence of such danger can be eliminated through the enforcement procedures provided by law. Any order issued under this section may require such steps to be taken as may be necessary to avoid, correct, or remove such imminent danger and prohibit the employment or presence of any individual in locations or under conditions where such imminent danger exists, except individuals whose presence is necessary to avoid, correct, or remove such imminent danger or to maintain the capacity of a continuous process operation to resume normal operations without a complete cessation of operations, or where a cessation of operations is necessary to permit such to be accomplished in a safe and orderly manner.
(b) Upon the filing of any such petition the court of common pleas shall have jurisdiction to grant such injunctive relief or temporary restraining order pending the outcome of an enforcement proceeding pursuant to the law.
(c) Whenever and as soon as a safety specialist concludes that conditions or practices described in item (a) exist in any place of employment, he shall inform the affected employees and employers of the danger and that he is recommending to the Director that relief be sought.
(d) If the Director of the Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation or his designee, or his authorized representative, arbitrarily or capriciously fails to seek relief under this section, any employee who may be injured or aggrieved by reason of such failure, or the representative of such employees, may bring an action against the Director in the court of common pleas for the district in which the imminent danger is alleged to exist, or the employer has its principal office, or an affected employee resides, for a writ of mandamus to compel the Director to seek such an order and for such further relief as may be appropriate.
HISTORY: 1962 Code Section 40-269; 1971 (57) 505; 1973 (58) 370; 1993 Act No. 181, Section 977, eff February 1, 1994.
Effect of Amendment
The 1993 amendment substituted "Director of the Department of Labor, Licensing, and Regulation or his designee" for "Commissioner of Labor".