Sec. 17.1. (a) Any standard promulgated under this chapter shall prescribe the use of labels or other appropriate forms of warning as are necessary to insure that employees are apprised of all hazards to which they are exposed, relevant symptoms and appropriate emergency treatment, and proper conditions and precautions of safe use or exposure. Where appropriate, such a standard shall also prescribe suitable protective equipment and control or technological procedures to be used in connection with the hazards and shall provide for monitoring or measuring employee exposure at such locations and intervals and in such manner as may be necessary for the protection of employees. In addition where appropriate, any standard shall prescribe the type or frequency of medical examinations or other tests which shall be made available by the employer, at employer’s cost, to employees exposed to hazards in order to most effectively determine whether the health of the employees is adversely affected by the exposure. Upon request, the results of examinations or tests shall be furnished to the department and shall remain confidential within the department. At the request of the employee, results shall be furnished to his physician.

     (b) The commission, in promulgating standards dealing with toxic materials or harmful physical agents, shall set the standard which most adequately assures, to the extent feasible, on the basis of the best available evidence, that no employee will suffer material impairment of health or functional capacity even if the employee has regular exposure to the hazard dealt with by the standard for the period of his working life. Development of standards shall be based upon research, demonstrations, experiments, and such other information as may be appropriate. In addition to the attainment of the highest degree of health and safety protection for the employee, other considerations shall be the latest available scientific data in the field, the feasibility of the standards, and experience gained under this and other health and safety laws. Whenever practicable, the standard promulgated shall be expressed in terms of objective criteria and of the performance desired.

     (c) The commission, in promulgating standards, shall adopt rules requiring employers to maintain accurate records of employee exposures to potentially toxic material or harmful physical agents which are required to be monitored or measured under the standards. These rules shall provide employees or their representatives with an opportunity to observe monitoring or measuring and to have access to the records thereof. These rules shall also make appropriate provisions for each employee to have access to such records as will indicate his own exposure to toxic materials or harmful physical agents. Under these rules, each employer shall notify any employee who is being consistently exposed to toxic materials or harmful physical agents in concentrations or at levels which exceed those prescribed by an occupational safety and health standard and shall inform any employee who is being thus exposed of the corrective action being taken.

Formerly: Acts 1973, P.L.241, SEC.13. As amended by P.L.37-1985, SEC.35.