• Brownfields Health & Safety -- For Sites Evaluated & Remediated under Federal Brownfields Initiatives or State Voluntary Cleanup Programs. OSHA Question and Answer Sheet. Compliance information about site assessment and clean-up activities on brownfields.
  • Our loan/contract/Cooperative Agreement requires a site-specific health and safety plan (HASP) consistent with 1910.120 prior to starting field work. What is this plan and what must it contain?
  • Who prepares a site HASP and who is covered by it? Can a HASP prepared by site contractors cover oversight personnel or other workers on site only occasionally?
  • The State requires a site-specific HASP and "compliance with 1910" to participate in the Voluntary Clean-up Program (VCP). What does this mean?
• Electronic Health and Safety Program (eHASP)₂. Created in cooperation with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the updated eHASP Guide uses modern (Windows-based) software, site-specific text, and expanded decision logic to assist the user in determining the appropriate controls of health and safety hazards for their sites.
• Handbook for Occupational Health and Safety during Hazardous Waste Activities. US Department of Energy (DOE), (1996). 
  • Development of a Site-Specific Health and Safety Plan. 96 KB PDF, 17 pages. Describes how to develop a written site-specific safety and health plan.
  • Access and Hazard Controls. 150 KB PDF, 16 pages. Identifies exposure controls (engineering, administrative and PPE).
• Occupational Safety and Health Guidance Manual for Hazardous Waste Site Activities. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), OSHA, US Coast Guard (USCG), and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), (1985). Identifies hazards and exposure controls, and provides a generic health and safety plan template in Appendix B.
• Small Business Liability Relief and Brownfields Revitalization Act. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), (2002). Congress passed this act in January 2002, amending the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA). The amendment defines the term "brownfield site," provides funding for brownfield site assessment and clean-up, and clarifies liability issues for sites that have completed State Voluntary Cleanup Programs.

• Small Entity Compliance Guide for the Respiratory Protection Standard (29 CFR 1910.134). OSHA, (1999). Also available as a 707 KB PDF, 149 pages. Contains a model program in Appendix IV.
• Respiratory Protection. OSHA eTool. Highlights selection, use, fit testing, change-out schedules, medical and written program requirements.
• Recommendations for Chemical Protective Clothing: A Companion to the NIOSH Pocket Guide to Chemical Hazards. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), (1998). Identifies protective clothing materials appropriate for chemicals listed in the Pocket Guide.
• Personal Protective Equipment Program. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), (1997). Provides an example of a written program.
• For additional information, see OSHA's Safety and Health Topics Pages on:
  • Medical Screening and Surveillance
  • Permissible Exposure Limits (PEL)
  • Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
  • Respiratory Protection
  • Ventilation

• OSHA Assistance for the Construction Industry. Provides links to OSHA Construction Standards and agency policies.
• OSH Technical Reference (OTR). US Department of Energy (DOE), (1998). Identifies physical hazards and controls, and lists applicable regulatory and consensus standards.
• eLCOSH Checklists. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). Identifies work practices (see individual WORK PRACTICES section) for controlling many physical hazards.
• National Ag Safety Database (NASD). National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). Provides resources for controlling physical hazards. The website is geared toward agricultural safety, but many resources are appropriate for all audiences, and some are provided in Spanish.
• Safety and Health Requirements EM 385-1-1. US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Engineering Manual, (1996). Identifies physical hazards and exposure controls.
• For additional information, see OSHA's Brownfields Exposure Evaluation Safety and Health Topics Page.

• Model Plans and Programs for the OSHA Bloodborne Pathogens and Hazard Communications Standards. OSHA Publication 3186, (2003). Also available as a 521 KB PDF, 29 pages.
• Who Should Get the New Lyme Disease Vaccine? Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), (1999, April 19). Provides information about emerging infectious diseases.
• Lyme Disease: Prevention and Control. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
• Preventing Hantavirus Disease. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), (2000).
• For additional information, see OSHA's Bloodborne Pathogens and Needlestick Prevention Safety and Health Topics Page.

General

• Brownfields Health & Safety -- For Sites Evaluated & Remediated under Federal Brownfields Initiatives or State Voluntary Cleanup Programs. OSHA Question and Answer Sheet. Compliance information about site assessment and clean-up activities on brownfields.
  • Is a brownfield site a hazardous waste site? Does OSHA's HAZWOPER standard (29 CFR 1910.120 or 1926.65) apply to work done at brownfield sites?
  • What is the difference between the site-specific HASP and the Health and Safety Program required by HAZWOPER?
  • Who prepares a site HASP and who is covered by it? Can a HASP prepared by site contractors cover oversight personnel or other workers on site only occasionally?
  • Who is responsible for safety and health oversight at a brownfield site?
  • Who enforces safety and health requirements at a brownfield site?
  • What is OSHA's role at a brownfield site?
  • What is the EPA's role in safety and health at a brownfield site?
  • What is the State's role in S&H at a brownfield site?
  • Are all responses to hazardous substance releases on a brownfield site emergency responses?
  • How do brownfield site emergency responders need to be trained and prepared?
• HAZWOPER may be your primary concern, but other General Industry and Construction Industry standards may also apply to your site activities.
  • What OSHA Health and Safety Requirements Apply to My Brownfield? OSHA poster presentation at Brownfields 2000 Conference, (2000) 64 KB PDF, 11 pages. Summarizes compliance information related to brownfield sites.
  • Construction Industry Safety and Health Regulations Digest. OSHA, (1996). Provides regulatory citations and briefly identifies compliance requirements for each Construction Standard.

Chemical

If your site meets the scope of HAZWOPER, then a qualified person must characterize the site, identifying the presence and concentrations of hazardous substances and their associated risks (29 CFR 1910.120(c)/29 CFR 1926.65(c)). Otherwise, a hazard assessment must be conducted in order to determine if hazards are present, or likely to be present, that necessitate the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) (29 CFR 1910.132(d)).

• Related Safety and Health Topics Pages
  • Carcinogens
  • Dermal Exposure
  • Permissible Exposure Limits (PELs)
  • Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
  • Reproductive Hazards
  • Respiratory Protection
  • Toxic Metals
  • Since OSHA also regulates chemical exposures through health-based chemical specific standards, check the chemical specific Safety and Health Topics Pages such as Benzene and Methylene Chloride that apply to your site.

Physical

• Construction Industry Digest. OSHA Publication 2202, (1998). Also available as a 418 KB PDF, 104 pages. Provides an index of regulatory requirements and citations for construction activities on brownfields.
• Related Safety and Health Topics Pages
  • Confined Spaces
  • Construction - Demolition
  • Electrical
  • Fall Protection
  • Fire Safety
  • Control of Hazardous Energy (Lockout/Tagout)
  • Hand and Power Tools
  • Heat Stress
  • Noise and Hearing Conservation
  • Trenching and Excavation
  • Walking/Working Surfaces
  • Welding, Cutting and Brazing

Biological

• For additional information, see OSHA's Bloodborne Pathogens and Needlestick Prevention Safety and Health Topics Page.