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<law><site_title>Virginia Decoded</site_title><site_url>https://vacode.org</site_url><law_id>75267</law_id><section_number>40.1-49.3</section_number><catch_line>Definitions</catch_line><edition url="https://vacode.org/2025/" slug="2025" current="TRUE" last_updated="">2025</edition><referred_to_by><reference>40.1-44.1</reference></referred_to_by><structure><unit label="title" level="1" order_by="1" identifier="40.1">Labor and Employment</unit><unit label="chapter" level="2" order_by="1" identifier="3">Protection of Employees</unit><unit label="article" level="3" order_by="1" identifier="5">Safety Provisions</unit></structure><text>
						<section><p>For the purposes of &#xA7;&#xA7;&#xA0;<a class="law" title="Enforcement of this title and standards, rules or regulations for safety and health; orders of Commissioner; proceedings in circuit court; injunctions; penalties" href="/40.1-49.4/">40.1-49.4</a>, <a class="law" title="Appeals to Court of Appeals" href="/40.1-49.5/">40.1-49.5</a>, <a class="law" title="Same; attorneys for Commonwealth" href="/40.1-49.6/">40.1-49.6</a>, <a class="law" title="Same; publication of orders" href="/40.1-49.7/">40.1-49.7</a>, and <a class="law" title="Duties of employers" href="/40.1-51.1/">40.1-51.1</a> through <a class="law" title="Duties of health and safety inspectors" href="/40.1-51.3/">40.1-51.3</a> the following terms shall have the following meanings:
		&#x201C;<span class="dictionary">Commission</span>&#x201D; means the Virginia Workers&#x2019; Compensation <span class="dictionary">Commission</span>.
		&#x201C;<span class="dictionary">Commissioner</span>&#x201D; means the <span class="dictionary">Commissioner</span> of Labor and Industry. Except where the context clearly indicates the contrary, any reference to <span class="dictionary">Commissioner</span> shall include his authorized representatives.
		&#x201C;<span class="dictionary">Employee</span>&#x201D; means an individual who is employed by an <span class="dictionary">employer</span>.
		&#x201C;<span class="dictionary">Employer</span>&#x201D; means any <span class="dictionary">person</span> that (i) is engaged in business or engages an individual to perform <span class="dictionary">domestic service</span> and (ii) has <span class="dictionary">employees</span>. &#x201C;<span class="dictionary">Employer</span>&#x201D; does not include the United States.
		&#x201C;<span class="dictionary">Occupational safety and health standard</span>&#x201D; means a standard which requires conditions, or the adoption or use of one or more practices, means, methods, operations, or processes, reasonably necessary or appropriate to provide safe or healthful employment and places of employment.
		&#x201C;<span class="dictionary">Serious violation</span>&#x201D; means a violation deemed to exist in a place of employment if there is a substantial probability that death or serious physical harm could result from a condition which exists, or from one or more practices, means, methods, operations, or processes which have been adopted or are in use, in such place of employment unless the <span class="dictionary">employer</span> did not, and could not with the exercise of reasonable diligence, know of the presence of the violation.
		&#x201C;<span class="dictionary">Person</span>&#x201D; means one or more individuals, partnerships, associations, corporations, business trusts, legal representatives, or any organized group of <span class="dictionary">persons</span>.
		&#x201C;<span class="dictionary">Circuit court</span>&#x201D; means the <span class="dictionary">circuit court</span> of the city or county wherein the violation of this title or any standard, rule or regulation issued pursuant thereto is alleged to have occurred. <span class="dictionary">Venue</span> shall be determined in accordance with the provisions of &#xA7;&#xA7;&#xA0;<a class="law" title="Venue generally" href="/8.01-257/">8.01-257</a> through <a class="law" title="Discretion of judge" href="/8.01-267/">8.01-267</a>.</p></section></text><history>1979, c. 354; 1992, c. 777; 2021, Sp. Sess. I, cc. 509, 513.</history><metadata></metadata></law>
