16VAC25-60-80: Access to employee medical and exposure records

A. An employee and his authorized representative shall have access to his exposure and medical records required to be maintained by the employer.

B. When required by a standard, a health care professional under contract to the employer or employed by the employer shall have access to the exposure and medical records of an employee only to the extent necessary to comply with the requirements of the standard and shall not disclose or report without the employee's express written consent to any person within or outside the workplace except as required by the standard.

C. Under certain circumstances it may be necessary for the commissioner to obtain access to employee exposure and medical records to carry out statutory and regulatory functions. However, due to the substantial personal privacy interests involved, the commissioner shall seek to gain access to such records only after a careful determination of the need for such information and only with appropriate safeguards described at 29 CFR 1913.10(i) in order to protect individual privacy. In the event that the employer requests the commissioner to wait 24 hours for the presence of medical personnel to review the records, the commissioner will do so on presentation of an affidavit that the employer has not and will not modify or change any of the records. The commissioner's examination and use of this information shall not exceed that which is necessary to accomplish the purpose for access. Personally identifiable medical information shall be retained only for so long as is needed to carry out the function for which it was sought. Personally identifiable information shall be kept secure while it is being used and shall not be released to other agencies or to the public except under certain narrowly defined circumstances outlined at 29 CFR 1913.10(m).

D. In order to implement the policies described in subsection C of this section, the rules and procedures of 29 CFR Part 1913.10, Rules of Agency Practice and Procedure Concerning Access to Employee and Medical Records, are hereby expressly incorporated by reference. When these rules and procedures are applied to the commissioner the following federal terms should be considered to read as below:

FEDERAL TERM

VOSH EQUIVALENT

AGENCY

Virginia Department Of Labor And Industry

OSHA

VOSH

Assistant Secretary

Commissioner

Office Of The Solicitor Of Labor

Office Of The Attorney General

Department Of Justice

Office of the Attorney General

Privacy Act

§§ 2.2-3800 to 2.2-3809 OF THE CODE OF VIRGINIA