[Code of Federal Regulations]
[Title 40, Volume 28]
[Revised as of July 1, 2002]
From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access
[CITE: 40CFR1610.1]

[Page 529-530]
 
                   TITLE 40--PROTECTION OF ENVIRONMENT
 
       CHAPTER VI--CHEMICAL SAFETY AND HAZARD INVESTIGATION BOARD
 
PART 1610--ADMINISTRATIVE INVESTIGATIONS--Table of Contents
 
Sec. 1610.1  Representation of witnesses in investigations.

    (a) Witnesses who are compelled to appear. Witnesses who are 
compelled to appear for a deposition (i.e., by subpoena) are entitled to 
be accompanied, represented, and advised by an attorney as follows:
    (1) Counsel for a witness may advise the witness with respect to any 
question asked where it is claimed that the testimony or other evidence 
sought from a witness is outside the scope of the investigation, or that 
the witness

[[Page 530]]

is privileged to refuse to answer a question or to produce other 
evidence. For these allowable objections, the witness or counsel for the 
witness may object on the record to the question or requirement and may 
state briefly and precisely the ground therefor. If the witness refuses 
to answer a question, then counsel may briefly state on the record that 
counsel has advised the witness not to answer the question and the legal 
grounds for such refusal. The witness and his or her counsel shall not 
otherwise object to or refuse to answer any question, and they shall not 
otherwise interrupt the oral examination.
    (2) Any objections made will be treated as continuing objections and 
preserved throughout the further course of the deposition without the 
necessity for repeating them as to any similar line of inquiry. 
Cumulative objections are unnecessary. Repetition of the grounds for any 
objection will not be allowed.
    (3) Counsel for a witness may not, for any purpose or to any extent 
not allowed by paragraphs (a)(1) and (2) of this section, interrupt the 
examination of the witness by making any objections or statements on the 
record.
    (4) Following completion of the examination of a witness, counsel 
for the witness may on the record request the person conducting the 
deposition to permit the witness to clarify any of his or her answers. 
The grant or denial of such request shall be within the sole discretion 
of the person conducting the deposition.
    (5) The person conducting the deposition shall take all necessary 
action to regulate the course of the deposition, to avoid delay, and to 
prevent or restrain disorderly, dilatory, obstructionist, or 
contumacious conduct, or contemptuous language. Such person shall, for 
reasons stated on the record, immediately report to the Board any 
instances where an attorney has allegedly refused to comply with his or 
her directions, or has allegedly engaged in disorderly, dilatory, 
obstructionist, or contumacious conduct, or contemptuous language in the 
course of the deposition. The Board may thereupon take such further 
action, if any, as the circumstances warrant, including exclusion of 
that attorney from further participation in the particular 
investigation.
    (b) Voluntary interviews. Witnesses appearing voluntarily do not 
have a right to have an attorney present during questioning. The 
Investigator-in-Charge (IIC), in consultation with the General Counsel, 
may permit a witness to be accompanied by an attorney or non-attorney 
representative. If so accompanied, the role of the attorney or non-
attorney representative is limited to raising objections to questions 
that are outside the scope of the investigation and to advising the 
witness with respect to any legal privilege such as, for example, under 
the Fifth Amendment to the U. S. Constitution. Attorney and non-attorney 
representatives may not represent more than one witness in each 
investigation in this fashion, absent the consent of the IIC and the 
General Counsel.