40 U.S.C.
United States Code, 2001 Edition
Title 40 - PUBLIC BUILDINGS, PROPERTY, AND WORKS
CHAPTER 5 - HOURS OF LABOR AND SAFETY ON PUBLIC WORKS
SUBCHAPTER II - CONTRACT WORK HOURS AND SAFETY STANDARDS
Sec. 333 - Health and safety standards in building trades and construction industry
From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov

§333. Health and safety standards in building trades and construction industry

(a) Condition of contracts; proceedings for promulgation of regulations; hearing, consultation with Advisory Committee

It shall be a condition of each contract (other than a contract referred to in section 329(c) of this title) which is entered into under legislation subject to Reorganization Plan Numbered 14 of 1950 (64 Stat. 1267), and is for construction, alteration, and/or repair, including painting and decorating, that no contractor or subcontractor contracting for any part of the contract work shall require any laborer or mechanic employed in the performance of the contract to work in surroundings or under working conditions which are unsanitary, hazardous, or dangerous to his health or safety, as determined under construction safety and health standards promulgated by the Secretary by regulation based on proceedings pursuant to section 553 of title 5, provided that such proceedings include a hearing of the nature authorized by said section. In formulating such standards, the Secretary shall consult with the Advisory Committee created by subsection (e) of this section.

(b) Compliance with section and regulations: inspections, hearings, orders, findings of fact, and decisions; application of sections 38 and 39 of title 41; opportunity for hearing; consequences of noncompliance: cancellation of contracts, completion contracts, additional costs, and withholding of assistance; nonapplication of section 330 of this title

The Secretary is authorized to make such inspections, hold such hearings, issue such orders, and make such decisions based on finding of fact, as are deemed necessary to gain compliance with this section and any health and safety standard promulgated by the Secretary under subsection (a) of this section, and for such purposes the Secretary and the United States district courts shall have the authority and jurisdiction provided by sections 38 and 39 of title 41. In the event that the Secretary of Labor determines noncompliance under the provisions of this section after an opportunity for an adjudicatory hearing by the Secretary of any condition of a contract of a type described in clause (1) or (2) of section 329(a) of this title, the governmental agency for which the contract work is done shall have the right to cancel the contract, and to enter into other contracts for the completion of the contract work, charging any additional cost to the original contractor. In the event of noncompliance, as determined by the Secretary after an opportunity for an adjudicatory hearing by the Secretary, of any condition of a contract of a type described in clause (3) of section 329(a) of this title, the governmental agency by which financial guarantee, assistance, or insurance for the contract work is provided shall have the right to withhold any such assistance attributable to the performance of the contract. Section 330 of this title shall not apply to the enforcement of this section.

(c) Jurisdiction; cause shown; enforcement of compliance

The United States district courts shall have jurisdiction for cause shown, in any actions brought by the Secretary, to enforce compliance with the construction safety and health standard promulgated by the Secretary under subsection (a) of this section.

(d) Finding of ineffective protection against violations; transmission of names of violators to Comptroller General; contract awards prohibition; termination of restriction and notification of Comptroller General and Government agencies; judicial review

(1) If the Secretary determines on the record after an opportunity for an agency hearing that, by repeated willful or grossly negligent violations of this subchapter, a contractor or subcontractor has demonstrated that the provisions of subsections (b) and (c) of this section are not effective to protect the safety and health of his employees, the Secretary shall make a finding to that effect and shall, not sooner than thirty days after giving notice of the findings to all interested persons, transmit the name of such contractor or subcontractor to the Comptroller General.

(2) The Comptroller General shall distribute each name so transmitted to him to all agencies of the Government. Unless the Secretary otherwise recommends, no contract subject to this section shall be awarded to such contractor or subcontractor or to any person in which such contractor or subcontractor has a substantial interest until three years have elapsed from the date the name is transmitted to the Comptroller General. If, before the end of such three-year period, the Secretary, after affording interested persons due notice and opportunity for hearing, is satisfied that a contractor or subcontractor whose name he has transmitted to the Comptroller General will thereafter comply responsibly with the requirements of this section, he shall terminate the application of the preceding sentence to such contractor or subcontractor (and to any person in which the contractor or subcontractor has a substantial interest); and when the Comptroller General is informed of the Secretary's action he shall inform all agencies of the Government thereof.

(3) Any person aggrieved by the Secretary's action under subsections (b) or (d) of this section may, within sixty days after receiving notice thereof, file with the appropriate United States court of appeals a petition for review of such action. A copy of the petition shall be forthwith transmitted by the clerk of the court to the Secretary, who shall thereupon file in the court the record upon which he based his action, as provided in section 2112 of title 28. The findings of fact by the Secretary, if supported by substantial evidence, shall be final. The court shall have power to make and enter a decree enforcing, modifying, and enforcing as so modified, or setting aside in whole or in part, the order of the Secretary or the appropriate Government agency. The judgment of the court shall be subject to review by the Supreme Court of the United States upon certiorari or certification as provided in section 1254 of title 28.

(e) Advisory Committee on Construction Safety and Health; establishment; membership; appointment; representation of interests; advice in formulation of standards, regulations, and policy matters; appointment of experts or consultants; compensation, travel expenses, etc.

(1) The Secretary shall establish in the Department of Labor an Advisory Committee on Construction Safety and Health (hereinafter referred to as the “Advisory Committee”) consisting of nine members appointed, without regard to the civil service laws, by the Secretary. The Secretary shall appoint one such member as Chairman. Three members of the Advisory Committee shall be persons representative of contractors to whom this section applies, three members shall be persons representative of employees primarily in the building trades and construction industry engaged in carrying out contracts to which this section applies, and three public representatives who shall be selected on the basis of their professional and technical competence and experience in the construction health and safety field.

(2) The Advisory Committee shall advise the Secretary in the formulation of construction safety and health standards and other regulations, and with respect to policy matters arising in the administration of this section. The Secretary may appoint such special advisory and technical experts or consultants as may be necessary to carry out the functions of the Advisory Committee.

(3) Members of the Advisory Committee shall, while serving on the business of the Advisory Committee, be entitled to receive compensation at rates fixed by the Secretary, but not exceeding $100 per day, including traveltime; and while so serving away from their homes or regular places of business, they may be allowed travel expenses, including per diem in lieu of subsistence, as authorized by section 5703 of title 5 for persons in the Government service employed intermittently.

(f) Safety programs: promotion; prevention of injuries through reports, data, and consultations with employers

The Secretary shall provide for the establishment and supervision of programs for the education and training of employers and employees in the recognition, avoidance, and prevention of unsafe working conditions in employments covered by this subchapter, and to collect such reports and data and to consult with and advise employers as to the best means of preventing injuries.

(Pub. L. 87–581, title I, §107, as added Pub. L. 91–54, §1, Aug. 9, 1969, 83 Stat. 96; amended Pub. L. 103–355, title IV, §4104(c)(2), Oct. 13, 1994, 108 Stat. 3342.)

References in Text

Reorganization Plan Numbered 14 of 1950, referred to in subsec. (a), is Reorg. Plan No. 14 of 1950, eff. May 24, 1950, 15 F.R. 3176, 64 Stat. 1267, which is set out in the Appendix to Title 5, Government Organization and Employees.

The civil service laws, referred to in subsec. (e)(1), are set forth in Title 5. See, particularly, section 3301 et seq. of Title 5.

Amendments

1994—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 103–355 inserted “(other than a contract referred to in section 329(c) of this title)” after “It shall be a condition of each contract”.

Effective Date 1994 Amendment

For effective date and applicability of amendment by Pub. L. 103–355, see section 10001 of Pub. L. 103–355, set out as a note under section 251 of Title 41, Public Contracts.

Termination of Advisory Committees

Advisory committees in existence on Jan. 5, 1973, to terminate not later than the expiration of the 2-year period following Jan. 5, 1973, unless, in the case of a committee established by the President or an officer of the Federal Government, such committee is renewed by appropriate action prior to the expiration of such 2-year period, or in the case of a committee established by the Congress, its duration is otherwise provided by law. Advisory committees established after Jan. 5, 1973, to terminate not later than the expiration of the 2-year period beginning on the date of their establishment, unless, in the case of a committee established by the President or an officer of the Federal Government, such committee is renewed by appropriate action prior to the expiration of such 2-year period, or in the case of a committee established by the Congress, its duration is otherwise provided by law. See section 14 of Pub. L. 92–463, Oct. 6, 1972, 86 Stat. 776, set out in the Appendix to Title 5, Government Organization and Employees.

Section Referred to in Other Sections

This section is referred to in title 49 section 24312.