reglab/housing_qa huggingface dataset:
RI Gen L § 28-20-13 (2021)
2021 Rhode Island General Laws|Title 28 - Labor and Labor Relations|Chapter 28-20 - Division of Occupational Safety|Section 28-20-13 - Inspection of violations.

§ 28-20-13. Inspection of violations.(a) Any employee or representative of employees who believes that a violation of a safety or health code exists that threatens physical harm, or that an imminent danger exists, may request an inspection by giving notice to the director of the violation or danger. Any notice shall be reduced to writing, set forth with reasonable particularity the grounds for the notice, and be signed by the employee or representative of employees. Upon receipt of the notification, the director shall provide a copy to the employer or his or her agent not later than at the time of inspection, except that, upon the request of the person giving the notice, his or her name and the name of the individual employee referred to in the notice shall not appear in copy or on any record published, released, or made available. If upon receipt of the notification the director determines there are reasonable grounds to believe that the violation or danger exists, he or she shall make a special inspection in accordance with the provisions of this section as soon as practicable to determine if the violation or danger exists. If the director determines that there are not reasonable grounds to believe that a violation or danger exists, he or she shall notify the employee or representative of the employees in writing of that determination.(b) Prior to or during any inspection of a workplace, any employee or representative of employees employed in the workplace may notify the director, in writing, of any violation of this chapter which he or she has reason to believe exists in the workplace. The director shall by regulation establish procedures for informal review of any refusal by his or her representative to issue a compliance order as to any alleged violation and shall furnish the employee or representative of employees requesting the review a written statement of the reasons for the director's final disposition of the case.(c) A representative of the employer and a representative authorized by the employees shall be given the opportunity to accompany the compliance inspector during a physical inspection of the workplace for the purpose of aiding the inspection. Where there is no authorized employee representative, the compliance inspector shall consult with a reasonable number of employees concerning matters of health and safety in the workplace.History of Section.P.L. 1973, ch. 260, § 2; P.L. 1976, ch. 55, § 3.
RI Gen L § 28-20-14 (2021)
2021 Rhode Island General Laws|Title 28 - Labor and Labor Relations|Chapter 28-20 - Division of Occupational Safety|Section 28-20-14 - Procedures to counteract imminent dangers.

§ 28-20-14. Procedures to counteract imminent dangers.(a) The superior court shall have jurisdiction, upon petition of the attorney general, 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 the danger can be eliminated through the enforcement procedures otherwise provided by this chapter. Any order issued under this section may require any steps to be taken that may be necessary to avoid, correct, or remove the imminent danger and prohibit the employment or presence of any individual in locations or under conditions where the imminent danger exists, except individuals whose presence is necessary to avoid, correct, or remove the 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 the cessation to be accomplished in a safe and orderly manner.(b) Upon the filing of the petition the superior court shall have jurisdiction to grant injunctive relief or temporary restraining order pending the outcome of an enforcement proceeding pursuant to this chapter. The proceeding shall be as provided by Superior Court Rules of Civil Procedure Rule 65, except that no temporary restraining order issued without notice shall be effective for a period longer than five (5) days and no security as provided in paragraph (c) of Superior Court Rules of Civil Procedure Rule 65 shall be required of the state or its political subdivisions. No action brought under this section shall be construed as affecting a labor dispute as defined in § 28-10-3, nor shall the action be subject to the provisions of § 28-10-2 or paragraph (e) of Superior Court Rules of Civil Procedure Rule 65.(c) Whenever and as soon as a compliance inspector concludes that conditions or practices described in subsection (a) of this section exist in any place of employment, he or she shall inform the affected employees and employers of the danger and that he or she is recommending to the director that relief be sought.(d) If the director arbitrarily or capriciously fails to seek relief under this section, any employee who may be injured by reason of that failure or the representatives of the employees may bring an action against the director in the superior court for the county in which the imminent danger is alleged to exist for a writ of mandamus to compel the director to seek the order and for any further relief that may be appropriate.History of Section.P.L. 1973, ch. 260, § 2; P.L. 1976, ch. 55, § 3.
RI Gen L § 28-20-15 (2021)
2021 Rhode Island General Laws|Title 28 - Labor and Labor Relations|Chapter 28-20 - Division of Occupational Safety|Section 28-20-15 - Prosecution of violations.

§ 28-20-15. Prosecution of violations.It shall be the duty of the director to enforce the provisions of this chapter and upon request of the director the attorney general shall prosecute all violations of this chapter.History of Section.P.L. 1973, ch. 260, § 2.
RI Gen L § 28-20-16 (2021)
2021 Rhode Island General Laws|Title 28 - Labor and Labor Relations|Chapter 28-20 - Division of Occupational Safety|Section 28-20-16 - Compliance orders.

§ 28-20-16. Compliance orders.(a) If upon inspection or investigation the director believes that an employer has violated a requirement of § 28-20-8, or of any code, rule, or order promulgated pursuant to § 28-20-24, or of any regulation prescribed pursuant to this chapter or chapter 19 of this title, he or she shall promptly issue a compliance order to the employer. Each compliance order shall be in writing and shall describe with particularity the nature of the violation, including a reference to the provision of the law, code, rule, regulation, or order alleged to have been violated. In addition, the compliance order shall fix a reasonable time for the abatement of the violations.(b) Each compliance order issued under this section or a copy or copies of each order shall be prominently posted as prescribed in regulations issued by the director at or near each place a violation referred to in the compliance order has occurred.(c) No compliance order may be issued under this section after the expiration of six (6) months following the occurrence of a violation.History of Section.P.L. 1973, ch. 260, § 2; P.L. 1976, ch. 55, § 3; P.L. 1982, ch. 338, §§ 2, 3.
RI Gen L § 28-20-19 (2021)
2021 Rhode Island General Laws|Title 28 - Labor and Labor Relations|Chapter 28-20 - Division of Occupational Safety|Section 28-20-19 - Occupational safety and health review board.

§ 28-20-19. Occupational safety and health review board.(a) The occupational safety and health review board is established.(b) The review board shall be composed of seven (7) members appointed by the governor:(1) One of whom shall be a qualified member of the occupational safety profession;(2) One shall be a qualified elevator representative;(3) One shall be a qualified mechanical representative;(4) One shall be a qualified electrical representative;(5) One shall be a qualified operating engineer representative, nominated by the director of labor and training;(6) One shall be a qualified representative of the occupational health profession, nominated by the director of health; and(7) One shall be a representative of the public who acts as chairperson of the review board.(c) The term of office of each member of the review board shall be six (6) years.(d) The review board shall conduct hearings pursuant to chapter 35 of title 42 in all cases involving contests of the decisions of the director, and the commission for occupational safety and health made pursuant to this chapter and chapter 19 of this title.(e) Five (5) members of the review board shall constitute a quorum, and official action can be taken only on the affirmative vote of at least five (5) members. In the event of a lack of a quorum, the director of labor and training shall have the authority to designate an employee of the department of labor and training to serve on the board for purposes of obtaining a quorum only. That employee shall have no voting privileges.(f) The review board shall set its own rules established pursuant to the requirements of chapter 35 of title 42.(g) Clerical and other assistance as may be required by the review board shall be furnished by the director.History of Section.P.L. 1973, ch. 260, § 2; P.L. 1982, ch. 338, § 2; P.L. 2003, ch. 92, § 1; P.L. 2003, ch. 99, § 1.
RI Gen L § 28-20-20 (2021)
2021 Rhode Island General Laws|Title 28 - Labor and Labor Relations|Chapter 28-20 - Division of Occupational Safety|Section 28-20-20 - Judicial review.

§ 28-20-20. Judicial review.Any employer, employee, the director, or other individual who is aggrieved by any order of the review board may appeal the order pursuant to the provisions of chapter 35 of title 42.History of Section.P.L. 1973, ch. 260, § 2; P.L. 1976, ch. 55, § 3.
RI Gen L § 28-20-21 (2021)
2021 Rhode Island General Laws|Title 28 - Labor and Labor Relations|Chapter 28-20 - Division of Occupational Safety|Section 28-20-21 - Discrimination on account of complaint.

§ 28-20-21. Discrimination on account of complaint.(a) No employer shall discharge or in any manner discriminate against any employee because the employee has filed any complaint or instituted or caused to be instituted any proceeding under or related to this chapter or has testified or is about to testify in any proceeding or because of the exercise by that employee on behalf of himself or herself or others of any right afforded by this chapter.(b) Any employee who believes that he or she has been discharged or otherwise discriminated against by any person in violation of this section may, within thirty (30) days after the violation occurs, file a written complaint with the director alleging the discrimination. Upon receipt of the complaint, the director shall cause any investigation to be made that he or she deems appropriate. If upon the investigation the director determines that the provisions of this section have been violated and the employer fails or refuses to take remedial action ordered by the director, he or she shall then bring an action in any superior court against that person. In any action the courts shall have jurisdiction for cause shown to restrain violations of subsection (a) of this section and order all appropriate relief including rehiring or reinstatement of the employee to his or her former position with back pay and any other benefits to which he or she was entitled.(c) Within ninety (90) days of the receipt of a complaint filed under this subsection the director shall notify the complainant of his or her determination under subsection (b) of this section.History of Section.P.L. 1973, ch. 260, § 2.
RI Gen L § 28-20-22 (2021)
2021 Rhode Island General Laws|Title 28 - Labor and Labor Relations|Chapter 28-20 - Division of Occupational Safety|Section 28-20-22 - Code commission for occupational safety and health - Composition, appointment, terms, and removal of members.

§ 28-20-22. Code commission for occupational safety and health — Composition, appointment, terms, and removal of members.There is created within the department of labor and training a code commission for occupational safety and health, consisting of five (5) members, of whom two (2) shall represent industry, two (2) shall represent labor, and one shall represent the public and shall serve as chairperson of the commission. The representatives of industry shall be appointed by the director after he or she has consulted with representatives of industrial, commercial, and trade groups and associations in this state. The representatives of labor shall be appointed by the director after he or she has consulted with representatives of labor organizations in this state. The public representative shall be nominated jointly by the representatives of labor and industry. If the representatives of labor and industry have not nominated a public representative within thirty (30) days after their appointment, then the director shall instead both nominate and appoint the public representative on the commission. The appointment of the members of the commission shall be made by the director with the approval of the governor for a term of five (5) years. For their initial appointment, the representatives of industry shall be appointed for terms of one year and three (3) years, respectively; the representatives of labor shall be appointed for terms of two (2) years and four (4) years, respectively; and the public representative shall be appointed for a term of five (5) years. Vacancies shall be filled by appointments made in the same manner as the original appointments. A member of the commission may only be removed by the governor for cause. The director of labor and training and the director of health shall be ex-officio members of the commission, but shall have no vote and shall serve without additional compensation. Each ex-officio member may designate a subordinate from within his or her department as a substitute member of the commission by filing a written notice of that substitution in the office of the secretary of state. The industrial code commission for safety and health is abolished.History of Section.P.L. 1973, ch. 260, § 2.
RI Gen L § 28-20-23 (2021)
2021 Rhode Island General Laws|Title 28 - Labor and Labor Relations|Chapter 28-20 - Division of Occupational Safety|Section 28-20-23 - Compensation of commission members - Assistance - Appropriations.

§ 28-20-23. Compensation of commission members — Assistance — Appropriations.Members of the commission shall receive no salary, but shall receive compensation not exceeding twenty-five dollars ($25.00) for each day spent in the discharge of their official duties, with a maximum of fifteen hundred dollars ($1500) annually. An official meeting of the commission shall be held by request of the director. The director is authorized and directed to provide the commission with the clerical, legal, and other assistance that shall be necessary to permit the commission to perform its duties as provided in this chapter. The reasonable and necessary traveling and other expenses of the members of the commission while actually engaged in the performance of their duties shall be paid from the state treasury and upon receipt of proper vouchers approved by the director and the chairperson of the commission. The general assembly shall annually appropriate any sum that it deems necessary to carry out the purposes of this section.History of Section.P.L. 1973, ch. 260, § 2.
RI Gen L § 28-20-24 (2021)
2021 Rhode Island General Laws|Title 28 - Labor and Labor Relations|Chapter 28-20 - Division of Occupational Safety|Section 28-20-24 - Power to adopt codes - Advisory committees - Conformance with national standards.

§ 28-20-24. Power to adopt codes — Advisory committees — Conformance with national standards.(a) In addition to any other powers and duties that may be conferred upon it by law, the commission shall have the power and duty to make, amend, and repeal codes for the elimination of safety or health hazards in every employment or place of employment, including the repair and maintenance of places of employment to render them safe. The director of labor and training and the director of health shall each have the right to propose to the commission those codes or amendments to existing codes that they may deem necessary to carry out the intent of this chapter. The commission shall continue to develop, adopt, and amend codes as new or previously unrecognized occupational safety and health hazards are discovered.(b) In the performance of its duties the commission shall appoint advisory committees, composed of representatives of employers, labor organizations, and experts.(c) All codes shall, when adopted, be consistent with accepted safety and health standards of nationally recognized standards-producing organizations, which shall be at least as effective as federal standards, which, in themselves, shall be adopted. All codes, when appropriate, shall contain specific provisions for the protection of employees from exposure to hazards by such means as the requirement for use of suitable protective equipment and for control or technological procedures with respect to the hazards, including monitoring or measuring the exposure. No code may apply standards for products distributed or used in interstate commerce that are different from federal standards for those products unless required by compelling local conditions and do not unduly burden interstate commerce.(d) Any amendments made to any codes by the commission shall be such that, when adopted, the amended codes shall be consistent with existing accepted safety and health standards and at least as effective as federal standards. All new federal standards and revisions or amendments to federal standards shall be adopted as state codes within six (6) months after their publication in the federal register.(e) The codes adopted under this chapter shall have the force and effect of law, and the commission shall conduct hearings and establish rules and regulations pursuant to provisions of chapter 35 of title 42.History of Section.P.L. 1973, ch. 260, § 2; P.L. 1982, ch. 338, § 2.
RI Gen L § 28-20-25 (2021)
2021 Rhode Island General Laws|Title 28 - Labor and Labor Relations|Chapter 28-20 - Division of Occupational Safety|Section 28-20-25 - Hearing on codes.

§ 28-20-25. Hearing on codes.No code may be adopted, amended, or repealed except pursuant to the provisions contained in chapter 35 of title 42.History of Section.P.L. 1973, ch. 260, § 2.
RI Gen L § 28-20-26 (2021)
2021 Rhode Island General Laws|Title 28 - Labor and Labor Relations|Chapter 28-20 - Division of Occupational Safety|Section 28-20-26 - Effective date of codes and changes.

§ 28-20-26. Effective date of codes and changes.All codes and all amendments to them and repeals of them shall take effect twenty (20) days after certified copies are filed in the office of the secretary of state.History of Section.P.L. 1973, ch. 260, § 2.
RI Gen L § 28-20-27 (2021)
2021 Rhode Island General Laws|Title 28 - Labor and Labor Relations|Chapter 28-20 - Division of Occupational Safety|Section 28-20-27 - Publication of codes and changes - Posting of lists - Notice to employees.

§ 28-20-27. Publication of codes and changes — Posting of lists — Notice to employees.(a) Every code adopted and every amendment or repeal of these codes shall be compiled as prescribed in § 42-35-5 and published in the manner and quantity required for reference and enforcement. A printed list of the titles of all codes including their amendments issued and adopted by the commission under the provisions of this chapter, together with the dates of their adoption, shall be posted by the employer in every place of employment.(b) Where appropriate, codes shall contain provisions for the furnishing to employees of information regarding hazards in the workplace, including information about suitable precautions, relevant symptoms, and emergency treatment in case of exposure, by such means as labeling, posting, and, where appropriate, medical examination at no cost to employees, with the results of the examinations being furnished only to appropriate state officials and, if the employee so requests, to his or her physician.History of Section.P.L. 1973, ch. 260, § 2.
RI Gen L § 28-20-28 (2021)
2021 Rhode Island General Laws|Title 28 - Labor and Labor Relations|Chapter 28-20 - Division of Occupational Safety|Section 28-20-28 - Temporary codes.

§ 28-20-28. Temporary codes.(a) The director of labor and training in cooperation with the director of health shall promulgate, without regard to the requirements of §§ 28-20-24 — 28-20-26, an emergency temporary code to take immediate effect upon publication and filing with the secretary of state if he or she determines that employees are exposed to grave danger from exposure to substances or agents determined to be toxic or physically harmful or from new hazards, and that the emergency code is required to protect employees from the danger.(b) A temporary code shall be effective until superseded by a code promulgated in accordance with the procedure prescribed in §§ 28-20-24 — 28-20-26, or for a maximum period of one hundred and twenty (120) days.History of Section.P.L. 1973, ch. 260, § 2; P.L. 1976, ch. 55, § 3.
RI Gen L § 28-20-30 (2021)
2021 Rhode Island General Laws|Title 28 - Labor and Labor Relations|Chapter 28-20 - Division of Occupational Safety|Section 28-20-30 - Judicial review of code provisions.

§ 28-20-30. Judicial review of code provisions.Any employer, employee, or other individual who may be adversely affected by any code adopted under this chapter, or any amendment of it, may, within thirty (30) days after its promulgation, commence an action in the superior court against the director to set aside the code or portion of the code on the grounds that it is unlawful or unreasonable, in accordance with the provisions of § 42-35-15. Any person adversely affected by any code or decision adopted pursuant to chapter 19 of this title shall first appeal the decision to the occupational safety review board as provided in § 28-19-10.History of Section.P.L. 1973, ch. 260, § 2; P.L. 1982, ch. 338, § 2.
RI Gen L § 28-20-31 (2021)
2021 Rhode Island General Laws|Title 28 - Labor and Labor Relations|Chapter 28-20 - Division of Occupational Safety|Section 28-20-31 - Notice of judicial review - Rules of practice.

§ 28-20-31. Notice of judicial review — Rules of practice.In any proceedings under § 28-20-30, the court shall order notice to be given to the commission and to the director in any manner that it shall determine. Any proceeding under § 28-20-30 and the pleadings therein shall be governed by the laws and rules of practice applicable to other civil actions in the superior courts.History of Section.P.L. 1973, ch. 260, § 2.
RI Gen L § 28-20-32 (2021)
2021 Rhode Island General Laws|Title 28 - Labor and Labor Relations|Chapter 28-20 - Division of Occupational Safety|Section 28-20-32 - Confidentiality of trade secrets.

§ 28-20-32. Confidentiality of trade secrets.All information reported to or otherwise obtained by the director in connection with any inspection or proceeding under this chapter which contains or which might reveal a trade secret referred to in 18 U.S.C. § 1905 shall be considered confidential for the purpose of that section, except that the information may be disclosed to other officers or employees concerned with carrying out the provisions of this chapter, or when relevant in any proceeding under this chapter. In any proceeding the director, the review board, or the court shall issue orders as may be appropriate to protect the confidentiality of trade secrets.History of Section.P.L. 1973, ch. 260, § 2.
RI Gen L § 28-20-33 (2021)
2021 Rhode Island General Laws|Title 28 - Labor and Labor Relations|Chapter 28-20 - Division of Occupational Safety|Section 28-20-33 - Other safety and health laws unimpaired.

§ 28-20-33. Other safety and health laws unimpaired.Nothing in this chapter shall be construed to repeal or to limit or restrict in any way present state laws, regulations, or orders governing the safety or health of employees in any place of employment which are not in conflict with this chapter.History of Section.P.L. 1973, ch. 260, § 2.