88.8  Procedure for enforcement.
  1.  Postinspection penalty notice.  If, after an inspection or an investigation, the commissioner issues a citation under section 88.7, the commissioner shall, within a reasonable time after the termination of the inspection or investigation, notify the employer by service in the same manner as an original notice or by certified mail of the penalty, if any, proposed to be assessed under section 88.14 and that the employer has fifteen working days within which to notify the commissioner that the employer wishes to contest the citation or proposed assessment of penalties. If, within fifteen working days from the receipt of the notice issued by the commissioner, the employer fails to notify the commissioner that the employer intends to contest the citation or proposed assessment of penalty, and no notice is filed by any employees or authorized employee representative under subsection 3 of this section within the time specified, the citation and the assessment, as proposed, shall be deemed a final order of the appeal board and not subject to review by any court or agency.
  2.  Noncompliance notice.  If the commissioner has reason to believe that an employer has failed to correct the violation for which a citation has been issued within the period permitted for its correction (which period shall not begin to run until the entry of a final order by the appeal board in the case of any review proceedings under this section initiated by the employer in good faith and not solely for delay or avoidance of penalties), the commissioner shall notify the employer by service in the same manner as an original notice or by certified mail of the failure and of the penalty proposed to be assessed under section 88.14 by reason of the failure, and that the employer has fifteen working days within which to notify the commissioner that the employer wishes to contest the commissioner’s notification or the proposed assessment of penalty. If, within fifteen working days from the receipt of notification issued by the commissioner, the employer fails to notify the commissioner that the employer intends to contest the notification or proposed assessment of penalty, the notification and assessment, as proposed, shall be deemed the final order of the appeal board and not subject to review by any court or agency.
  3.  Contested notice.
  a.  If an employer notifies the commissioner that the employer intends to contest a citation issued under section 88.7, or notification issued under subsection 1 or 2 of this section or if, within fifteen working days of the issuance of a citation under section 88.7, any employee or authorized employee representative files a notice with the commissioner alleging that the period of time fixed in the citation for the abatement of the violation is unreasonable, the commissioner shall immediately advise the appeal board of such notification, and the appeal board shall afford an opportunity for a hearing.
  b.  At the hearing, the appeal board shall act as an adjudicatory body. The appeal board shall thereafter issue an order, based on findings of fact, affirming, modifying, or vacating the commissioner’s citation or proposed penalty or directing other appropriate relief, and such order shall become final thirty days after its issuance.
  c.  Upon a showing by an employer of a good faith effort to comply with the abatement requirements of a citation, and that abatement has not been completed because of factors beyond the employer’s reasonable control, the commissioner, after an opportunity for a hearing shall issue an order affirming or modifying the abatement requirements in such citation.
  d.  The rules of procedure prescribed by the appeal board shall provide affected employees or representatives of affected employees an opportunity to participate as parties to hearings under this subsection, and shall conform to rules of procedure adopted under the federal law by federal authorities insofar as the federal rules of procedure do not conflict with state law.
  4.  Withdrawal of citation or settlement.  The commissioner has unreviewable discretion to withdraw a citation charging an employer with violating this chapter. If the parties enter into a settlement agreement prior to a hearing, the employment appeal board shall enter an order affirming the agreement.
[C66, 71, §88A.15, 88A.16; C73, 75, 77, 79, 81, §88.8]
88 Acts, ch 1025, §2; 89 Acts, ch 321, §25; 93 Acts, ch 180, §55; 99 Acts, ch 68, §3; 2008 Acts, ch 1031, §92
Referred to in