(a) As used in this section, “Hazard Evaluation System and Information Service” or “HESIS” means the repository established pursuant to subdivision (b).

(b) In accordance with Chapter 2 (commencing with Section 6350) of Part 1 of Division 5 of this code and § 105175 of the Health and Safety Code, the Department of Industrial Relations, by interagency agreement with the State Department of Public Health, shall establish a repository of current data on toxic materials and harmful physical agents in use or potentially in use in places of employment in the state, known as the Hazard Evaluation System and Information Service, or HESIS.

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(c) HESIS shall fulfill all of the following functions:

(1) Provide reliable information of practical use to employers, employees, representatives of employees, and other governmental agencies on the possible hazards to employees of exposure to toxic materials or harmful physical agents.

(2) Collect and evaluate toxicological and epidemiological data and any other information that may be pertinent to establishing harmful effects on health of exposure to toxic materials or harmful physical agents. Nothing in this subdivision shall be construed as authorizing HESIS to require employers, other than chemical manufacturers, formulators, suppliers, distributors, importers, and their agents, to report any information not otherwise required by law.

(3) When there is new scientific or medical information and the Chief of HESIS, in consultation with the Director of Industrial Relations and the Chief of the Division of Environmental and Occupational Disease Control in the State Department of Public Health, determines that a substance may be in use in a place of employment, may pose a hazard under a reasonable anticipated condition of use, and potentially poses a serious new or unrecognized health hazard to an employee, including, but not limited to, cancer, reproductive or developmental harm, organ system impairment, or death, chemical manufacturers, formulators, suppliers, distributors, importers, and their agents, as specified in subparagraph (A), shall provide to HESIS the names and addresses of their customers who have purchased certain chemicals, as specified by HESIS, or commercial products containing those chemicals and information related to those shipments, including the quantities and dates of shipments, and the proportion of a specified chemical within a mixture containing the specified chemical, upon written request by HESIS, for every product the final destination of which may be a place of employment in California. This paragraph shall not apply to a retail seller of the substance, whether sold individually or as part of a commercial product to the public. The following shall apply to this paragraph:

(A) On or after January 1, 2016, the information requested shall include current and past customers for not more than a one-year period prior to the date the request is issued. The information shall be provided within a reasonable timeframe, not to exceed 30 calendar days from the date the request is issued. The information shall be provided in a format specified by the State Department of Public Health but consistent with the responding entity’s current data system.

(B) Unless, pursuant to other law or regulation the following persons, any other person, or any governmental entity is required to publicly disclose the following information, the names and addresses of customers, the quantities and dates of shipments, and the proportion of a specified chemical within a mixture provided by chemical manufacturers, formulators, suppliers, distributors, importers, and their agents pursuant to this paragraph shall be considered confidential and, except as specified in this subparagraph, exempt from public disclosure under the California Public Records Act (Division 10 (commencing with Section 7920.000) of Title 1 of the Government Code). HESIS may disclose that information to officers or employees of the State Department of Public Health, to officers or employees of the state who are responsible for carrying out the purposes of Division 5 (commencing with Section 6300), or to the state agencies of the state officers specified in paragraphs (5) and (6). Any officer, employee, or agency to which the information is disclosed shall be subject to this subparagraph.

(C) The State Department of Public Health shall be entitled to reimbursement of attorney’s fees and costs incurred in seeking an injunction to enforce this paragraph.

(4) Recommend to the Chief of the Division of Occupational Safety and Health Administration that an occupational safety and health standard be developed whenever it has been determined that a substance in use or potentially in use in places of employment is potentially toxic at the concentrations or under the conditions used.

(5) Notify the Director of Pesticide Regulation of any information developed by HESIS that is relevant to carrying out the director’s responsibilities under Chapters 2 (commencing with Section 12751) and 3 (commencing with Section 14001) of Division 7 of the Food and Agricultural Code.

(6) Notify the Secretary for Environmental Protection of any information developed by HESIS that is relevant to carrying out the secretary’s responsibilities.

(d) The Director of Industrial Relations shall appoint an advisory committee to HESIS. The advisory committee shall consist of four representatives from labor, four representatives from management, four active practitioners in the occupational health field, and three persons knowledgeable in biomedical statistics or information storage and retrieval systems. The advisory committee shall meet on a regular basis at the request of the director. The committee shall be consulted by, and shall advise the director at each phase of the structuring and functioning of the repository and alert system with regard to, the procedures, methodology, validity, and practical utility of collecting, evaluating, and disseminating information concerning hazardous substances, consistent with the primary goals and objectives of the repository.

(e) Nothing in this section shall be construed to limit the ability of the State Department of Public Health to propose occupational safety and health standards to the Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board.

(f) Policies and procedures shall be developed to assure, to the extent possible, that HESIS uses and does not duplicate the resources of the federal government and other states.

(g) On or before December 31 of each year, the Department of Industrial Relations shall submit a report to the Legislature detailing the implementation and operation of HESIS including, but not limited to, the amount and source of funds allocated and spent on repository activities, the toxic materials and harmful physical agents investigated during the past year and recommendations made concerning them, actions taken to inform interested persons of the possible hazards of exposure to toxic materials and harmful physical agents, and any recommendations for legislative changes relating to the functions of HESIS.

(Amended by Stats. 2021, Ch. 615, Sec. 319. (AB 474) Effective January 1, 2022. Operative January 1, 2023, pursuant to Sec. 463 of Stats. 2021, Ch. 615.)