P.R. Laws tit. 29, § 361a
The Constitution of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico in Article II of its Bill of Rights guarantees that each employee shall be entitled to be protected against health and personal hazards in his work or employment.
(a) The Legislature of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico declares it to be its purpose and policy, through the exercise of its powers to provide for the general welfare, to guarantee as far as possible to each employee in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico safe and healthful working conditions and to preserve our human resources and thereby minimize family and personal accidents and the financial losses resulting from labor injuries and diseases:
(1) By authorizing the Secretary of Labor and Human Resources to adopt any federal standards established for occupational safety and health.
(2) By providing for the development and approval of other occupational safety and health standards.
(3) By providing an efficient enforcement program which shall include a prohibition against giving advance notice of any inspection, and sanctions for any individual violating this prohibition.
(4) By conferring to the Secretary of Labor and Human Resources full responsibility and authority to enforce all the provisions of §§ 361—361aa of this title and all the occupational safety and health standards, rules, regulations and orders promulgated hereunder.
(5) By encouraging employers and employees in their efforts to reduce the number of occupational safety and health hazards at their places of employment, and by stimulating employers and employees to institute new and to perfect existing programs for providing safe and healthful working conditions.
(6) By providing that employers and employees have separate but mutually dependent responsibilities and rights with respect to achieving safe and healthful working conditions.
(7) By promoting the joint efforts of workers and employers to reduce injuries and diseases arising from employment.
(8) By providing for appropriate reporting procedures with respect to occupational safety and health which procedures will help achieve the objectives of §§ 361—361aa of this title and to accurately describe the nature of the occupational safety and health problems.
(9) By providing for effective and unified methods for the compilation of occupational safety and health statistics and data related to the occupational safety and health field in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, including agencies, instrumentalities and municipalities of the Puerto Rico Commonwealth Government.
(10) By providing for training programs to increase the number and competence of the personnel engaged in the field of occupational safety and health.
History —Aug. 5, 1975, No. 16, p. 605, § 2.