On May 23, 1985, the General Assembly of Tennessee enacted the "Tennessee Hazardous Chemical Right-to-Know Law" to provide access of information concerning hazardous chemicals to manufacturing and non-manufacturing employees, emergency personnel and the general public. All TTU employees who work with hazardous chemicals in any way are covered by this law. The law became effective January 1, 1987, for non-manufacturers such as TTU. The administration and enforcement of this law is performed by the Tennessee Department of Labor.
26.2 Requirements
Employers are required to label hazardous chemicals, provide information on hazardous chemicals to employees who work with these chemicals and train employees on the hazards. Employees are not required to use hazardous chemicals in containers which are not properly labeled. Further details concerning the requirements and compliance procedures of this law may be obtained from the TTU Safety Officer and the safety manual. The Safety Officer is located in the Department of Facilities and Business Services and may be reached at 372-3227.
26.3 Penalties
If a Department of Labor inspection or investigation determines that a violation has occurred, the employer will be cited. Civil penalties for violations also are allowed by the law. Penalties are mandatory for serious violations and for failure to correct the violation within the time stipulated in the citation. Penalties may be up to $1,000 for each violation or $1,000 per day for each day the condition remains uncorrected. Civil penalties may be up to $1,000 for nonserious violations and up to $10,000 for employers who willfully or repeatedly violate this law.
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