{"formats":[{"name":"JSON","format":"json","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-json\/40.1-51.1.json"},{"name":"Plain Text","format":"text","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-text\/40.1-51.1.txt"},{"name":"XML","format":"xml","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-xml\/40.1-51.1.xml"},{"name":"HTML","format":"html","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-html\/40.1-51.1.html"}],"law_id":85981,"edition_id":1,"section_id":85981,"structure_id":13493,"section_number":"40.1-51.1","catch_line":"Duties of employers","history":"1972, c. 602; 1973, c. 425; 1976, c. 607; 1979, c. 354; 1995, c. 373; 2015, c. 270; 2016, c. 336.","full_text":"A\n\nIt shall be the duty of every employer to furnish to each of his employees safe employment and a place of employment that is free from recognized hazards that are causing or are likely to cause death or serious physical harm to his employees and to comply with all applicable occupational safety and health rules and regulations promulgated under this title.B\n\nEvery employer shall provide to employees, by such suitable means as shall be prescribed in rules and regulations of the Safety and Health Codes Board, information regarding their exposure to toxic materials or harmful physical agents and prompt information when they are exposed to concentration or levels of toxic materials or harmful physical agents in excess of those prescribed by the applicable safety and health standards and shall provide employees or their representatives with the opportunity to observe monitoring or measuring of exposures. Every employer shall also inform any employee who is being exposed of the corrective action being taken and shall provide former employees with access to information about their exposure to toxic materials or harmful physical agents.C\n\nEvery employer cited for a violation of any safety and health provisions of this title or standards, rules, and regulations promulgated thereunder shall post a copy of such citation at the site of the violations so noted as prescribed in the rules and regulations of the Safety and Health Codes Board.D\n\nEvery employer shall report to the Virginia Department of Labor and Industry within eight hours any work-related incident resulting in a fatality or within 24 hours any work-related incident resulting in (i) the inpatient hospitalization of one or more persons, (ii) an amputation, or (iii) the loss of an eye, as prescribed in the rules and regulations of the Safety and Health Codes Board.E\n\nEvery employer, through posting of notices or other appropriate means, shall keep his employees informed of their rights and responsibilities under this title and of specific safety and health standards applicable to his business establishment.F\n\nAn employer representative shall be given the opportunity to accompany the safety and health inspectors on safety or health inspections.G\n\nNothing in this section shall be construed to limit the authority of the Commissioner pursuant to § 40.1-6 or the Board pursuant to § 40.1-22 to promulgate necessary rules and regulations to protect and promote the safety and health of employees.","order_by":null,"text":{"0":{"id":307947,"text":"It shall be the duty of every employer to furnish to each of his employees safe employment and a place of employment that is free from recognized hazards that are causing or are likely to cause death or serious physical harm to his employees and to comply with all applicable occupational safety and health rules and regulations promulgated under this title.","type":"section","prefixes":["A"],"prefix":"A","entire_prefix":"A","prefix_anchor":"A","level":1,"next_prefix":"B"},"1":{"id":307948,"text":"Every employer shall provide to employees, by such suitable means as shall be prescribed in rules and regulations of the Safety and Health Codes Board, information regarding their exposure to toxic materials or harmful physical agents and prompt information when they are exposed to concentration or levels of toxic materials or harmful physical agents in excess of those prescribed by the applicable safety and health standards and shall provide employees or their representatives with the opportunity to observe monitoring or measuring of exposures. Every employer shall also inform any employee who is being exposed of the corrective action being taken and shall provide former employees with access to information about their exposure to toxic materials or harmful physical agents.","type":"section","prefixes":["B"],"prefix":"B","entire_prefix":"B","prefix_anchor":"B","level":1,"prior_prefix":"A","next_prefix":"C"},"2":{"id":307949,"text":"Every employer cited for a violation of any safety and health provisions of this title or standards, rules, and regulations promulgated thereunder shall post a copy of such citation at the site of the violations so noted as prescribed in the rules and regulations of the Safety and Health Codes Board.","type":"section","prefixes":["C"],"prefix":"C","entire_prefix":"C","prefix_anchor":"C","level":1,"prior_prefix":"B","next_prefix":"D"},"3":{"id":307950,"text":"Every employer shall report to the Virginia Department of Labor and Industry within eight hours any work-related incident resulting in a fatality or within 24 hours any work-related incident resulting in (i) the inpatient hospitalization of one or more persons, (ii) an amputation, or (iii) the loss of an eye, as prescribed in the rules and regulations of the Safety and Health Codes Board.","type":"section","prefixes":["D"],"prefix":"D","entire_prefix":"D","prefix_anchor":"D","level":1,"prior_prefix":"C","next_prefix":"E"},"4":{"id":307951,"text":"Every employer, through posting of notices or other appropriate means, shall keep his employees informed of their rights and responsibilities under this title and of specific safety and health standards applicable to his business establishment.","type":"section","prefixes":["E"],"prefix":"E","entire_prefix":"E","prefix_anchor":"E","level":1,"prior_prefix":"D","next_prefix":"F"},"5":{"id":307952,"text":"An employer representative shall be given the opportunity to accompany the safety and health inspectors on safety or health inspections.","type":"section","prefixes":["F"],"prefix":"F","entire_prefix":"F","prefix_anchor":"F","level":1,"prior_prefix":"E","next_prefix":"G"},"6":{"id":307953,"text":"Nothing in this section shall be construed to limit the authority of the Commissioner pursuant to § 40.1-6 or the Board pursuant to § 40.1-22 to promulgate necessary rules and regulations to protect and promote the safety and health of employees.","type":"section","prefixes":["G"],"prefix":"G","entire_prefix":"G","prefix_anchor":"G","level":1,"prior_prefix":"F"}},"ancestry":[{"id":13493,"edition_id":1,"name":"Safety Provisions","identifier":"5","label":"article","depth":3,"order_by":1,"parent_id":12777,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:45:02","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:45:02","permalink":{"id":220037,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":13493,"identifier":"5","token":"40.1\/3\/5","url":"\/40.1\/3\/5\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":12777,"edition_id":1,"name":"Protection of 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regulations","url":"\/40.1-51\/","token":"40.1\/3\/5\/40.1-51","metadata":false},"next_section":{"id":59403,"structure_id":13493,"section_number":"40.1-51.1:1","catch_line":"Repealed","url":"\/40.1-51.1_1\/","token":"40.1\/3\/5\/40.1-51.1_1","metadata":false},"metadata":false,"official_url":"https:\/\/law.lis.virginia.gov\/vacode\/40.1-51.1\/","history_text":"

This law was first created in 1972. The record of its establishment is cataloged in chapter 602 of that year\u2019s edition of \u201cActs of Assembly,\u201d the annual state publication listing all changes made to the Code of Virginia in that year. Unfortunately, the 1972 \u201cActs\u201d aren\u2019t available online. It has been modified 6 times. Those modifications are cataloged by \u201cThe Acts of Assembly,\u201d a state publication, by year and chapter. Those modifications that can be read on the General Assembly\u2019s website will be linked accordingly. Those modifications are as follows: in 1973, chapter 425; in 1976, chapter 607; in 1979, chapter 354; in 1995, chapter 373<\/a>; in 2015, chapter 270<\/a>; in 2016, chapter 336<\/a>.<\/p>","references":[{"id":75267,"section_number":"40.1-49.3","catch_line":"Definitions","order_by":null,"url":"\/40.1-49.3\/"}],"refers_to":[{"id":77584,"section_number":"40.1-22","catch_line":"Safety and Health Codes Commission continued as Safety and Health Codes Board","order_by":null,"url":"\/40.1-22\/"},{"id":63744,"section_number":"40.1-6","catch_line":"Powers and duties of Commissioner","order_by":null,"url":"\/40.1-6\/"}],"permalink":{"id":220119,"object_type":"law","relational_id":85981,"identifier":"40.1-51.1","token":"40.1\/3\/5\/40.1-51.1","url":"\/40.1-51.1\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1},"url":"\/40.1-51.1\/","token":"40.1\/3\/5\/40.1-51.1","dublin_core":{"Title":"Duties of employers","Type":"Text","Format":"text\/html","Identifier":"\u00a7 40.1-51.1","Relation":"Code of Virginia"},"html":"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

A.<\/span> It shall be the duty of every employer<\/span> to furnish to each of his employees<\/span> safe employment and a place of employment that is free from recognized hazards that are causing or are likely to cause death or serious physical harm to his employees<\/span> and to comply with all applicable occupational safety and health rules and regulations promulgated under this title. <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

B.<\/span> Every employer<\/span> shall provide to employees<\/span>, by such suitable means as shall be prescribed in rules and regulations of the Safety and Health Codes Board<\/span>, information regarding their exposure to toxic materials<\/span> or harmful physical agents and prompt information when they are exposed to concentration or levels of toxic materials<\/span> or harmful physical agents in excess of those prescribed by the applicable safety and health standards and shall provide employees<\/span> or their representatives with the opportunity to observe monitoring or measuring of exposures. Every employer<\/span> shall also inform any employee<\/span> who is being exposed of the corrective action being taken and shall provide former employees<\/span> with access to information about their exposure to toxic materials<\/span> or harmful physical agents. <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

C.<\/span> Every employer<\/span> cited for a violation of any safety and health provisions of this title or standards, rules, and regulations promulgated thereunder shall post a copy of such citation<\/span> at the site of the violations so noted as prescribed in the rules and regulations of the Safety and Health Codes Board<\/span>. <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

D.<\/span> Every employer<\/span> shall report to the Virginia Department<\/span> of Labor and Industry within eight hours any work-related incident resulting in a fatality or within 24 hours any work-related incident resulting in (i) the inpatient hospitalization of one or more persons, (ii) an amputation, or (iii) the loss of an eye, as prescribed in the rules and regulations of the Safety and Health Codes Board<\/span>. <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

E.<\/span> Every employer<\/span>, through posting of notices or other appropriate means, shall keep his employees<\/span> informed of their rights and responsibilities under this title and of specific safety and health standards applicable to his business establishment<\/span>. <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

F.<\/span> An employer<\/span> representative shall be given the opportunity to accompany the safety and health inspectors on safety or health inspections. <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

G.<\/span> Nothing in this section shall be construed to limit the authority of the Commissioner<\/span> pursuant to § 40.1-6<\/a> or the Board<\/span> pursuant to § 40.1-22<\/a> to promulgate necessary rules and regulations to protect and promote the safety and health of employees<\/span>. <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>","plain_text":" CODE OF VIRGINIA\n\nDUTIES OF EMPLOYERS (\u00a7 40.1-51.1)\n\nA. It shall be the duty of every employer to furnish to each of his employees\nsafe employment and a place of employment that is free from recognized hazards\nthat are causing or are likely to cause death or serious physical harm to his\nemployees and to comply with all applicable occupational safety and health rules\nand regulations promulgated under this title.\n\nB. Every employer shall provide to employees, by such suitable means as shall be\nprescribed in rules and regulations of the Safety and Health Codes Board,\ninformation regarding their exposure to toxic materials or harmful physical\nagents and prompt information when they are exposed to concentration or levels\nof toxic materials or harmful physical agents in excess of those prescribed by\nthe applicable safety and health standards and shall provide employees or their\nrepresentatives with the opportunity to observe monitoring or measuring of\nexposures. Every employer shall also inform any employee who is being exposed of\nthe corrective action being taken and shall provide former employees with access\nto information about their exposure to toxic materials or harmful physical\nagents.\n\nC. Every employer cited for a violation of any safety and health provisions of\nthis title or standards, rules, and regulations promulgated thereunder shall\npost a copy of such citation at the site of the violations so noted as\nprescribed in the rules and regulations of the Safety and Health Codes Board.\n\nD. Every employer shall report to the Virginia Department of Labor and Industry\nwithin eight hours any work-related incident resulting in a fatality or within\n24 hours any work-related incident resulting in (i) the inpatient\nhospitalization of one or more persons, (ii) an amputation, or (iii) the loss of\nan eye, as prescribed in the rules and regulations of the Safety and Health\nCodes Board.\n\nE. Every employer, through posting of notices or other appropriate means, shall\nkeep his employees informed of their rights and responsibilities under this\ntitle and of specific safety and health standards applicable to his business\nestablishment.\n\nF. An employer representative shall be given the opportunity to accompany the\nsafety and health inspectors on safety or health inspections.\n\nG. Nothing in this section shall be construed to limit the authority of the\nCommissioner pursuant to § 40.1-6 or the Board pursuant to § 40.1-22\nto promulgate necessary rules and regulations to protect and promote the safety\nand health of employees.\n\nHISTORY: 1972, c. 602; 1973, c. 425; 1976, c. 607; 1979, c. 354; 1995, c. 373;\n2015, c. 270; 2016, c. 336.","edition":{"id":1,"name":"2025","slug":"2025","date_created":"2026-06-21 22:39:22","date_modified":"2026-06-21 22:39:22","current":1,"order_by":1,"last_import":null}}