CSLB Law & Business ExamSafetyHard
A contractor's employee suffers a fatal injury on a job site, but the contractor does not report it to Cal/OSHA until 30 hours after the incident, well beyond the required timeframe. What is the most likely regulatory consequence for this delayed reporting?
- AThe delay is excused because a death occurred, since fatalities have no reporting deadline
- BNo consequence, since the injury occurred outside normal business hours
- CA civil penalty may be imposed on the employer for failing to report within the required 8-hour window
- DThe contractor's license is automatically and permanently revoked
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: C. A civil penalty may be imposed on the employer for failing to report within the required 8-hour window
Labor Code §6409.1 requires immediate reporting of a workplace fatality within 8 hours; failure to comply subjects the employer to a civil penalty (up to $5,000) independent of any penalties related to the underlying safety violation that caused the injury.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. Fatalities have the strictest reporting deadline, not an exemption from it.
- B. Business hours do not exempt employers from the 8-hour reporting requirement.
- D. License revocation is a CSLB action, not an automatic Cal/OSHA consequence for late reporting.
Penalty for Late Serious Injury Reporting
Employers who fail to report a serious injury, illness, or death within 8 hours face a civil penalty under Labor Code §6409.1, separate from other violation penalties.
- 8-hour reporting deadline applies to all serious injuries, illnesses, and deaths
- Civil penalty can reach up to $5,000 for late/non-reporting
- Penalty applies regardless of time of day incident occurs
Memory trick: Miss the 8 hours, pay the price