Any physician and surgeon who knows, or has reasonable cause to believe, that a patient is suffering from pesticide poisoning or any disease or condition caused by a pesticide shall promptly report that fact to the local health officer by telephone within 24 hours and by a copy of the report required pursuant to subdivision (a) of Section 6409 of the Labor Code within seven days, except that the information which is available to the physician and surgeon is all that is required to be reported as long as reasonable efforts are made to obtain the information.

Each local health officer shall immediately notify the county agricultural commissioner and, at his or her discretion, shall immediately notify the Director of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment of each report received and shall report to the Director of Pesticide Regulation, the Director of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, and the Director of Industrial Relations, on a form prescribed by the Director of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, each case reported to him or her pursuant to this section within seven days after receipt of the report.

The Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment shall designate a phone number or numbers for use by local health officers in the immediate notification of the office of a pesticide poisoning report. The office shall from time to time establish criteria for use by the local health officers in determining whether the circumstances of a pesticide poisoning warrants the immediate notification of the office.

In no case shall the treatment administered for pesticide poisoning or a condition suspected as pesticide poisoning be deemed to be first aid treatment.

Any physician and surgeon who fails to comply with the reporting requirements of this section or any regulations adopted pursuant to this section shall be liable for a civil penalty of two hundred fifty dollars ($250). For the purposes of this section, failure to report a case of pesticide poisoning involving one or more employees in the same incident shall constitute a single violation. The Division of Occupational Safety and Health of the Department of Industrial Relations shall enforce these provisions by issuance of a citation and notice of civil penalty in a manner consistent with Section 6317 of the Labor Code. Any physician and surgeon who receives a citation and notice of civil penalty may appeal to the Occupational Safety and Health Appeals Board in a manner consistent with Section 6319 of the Labor Code.

Each local health officer shall maintain the ability to receive and investigate reports of pesticide poisoning at all times pursuant to Section 12982 of the Food and Agricultural Code.

(Added by Stats. 1995, Ch. 415, Sec. 5. Effective January 1, 1996.)