The court of common pleas shall, upon application by the board or any member thereof, or by any party to a proceeding before it, enforce by proper proceedings the attendance and testimony of witnesses and the production and examination of books, papers, and records and may punish as for contempt of court, by fine or imprisonment or both, the unexcused failure or refusal to attend and give testimony or produce books, papers, and records as may have been required in any subpoena issued by the board or any member thereof. The board or any member thereof may issue to the sheriff of the county in which any hearing is held a warrant requiring him to produce at the hearing any witness who has ignored or failed to comply with any subpoena issued by the board which has been duly served upon the witness. The warrant shall authorize the sheriff to arrest and produce at the hearing the witness and it is his duty to do so. The failure of a witness to appear in response to a subpoena may be excused on the same grounds as provided by law in the courts of this State as to the attendance of witnesses and jurors.