Section 5(a)(1) of the OSH Act, often referred to as the General Duty Clause, requires employers to "furnish to each of his employees employment and a place of employment which are free from recognized hazards that are causing or are likely to cause death or serious physical harm to his employees". Section 5(a)(2) requires employers to "comply with occupational safety and health standards promulgated under this Act".

Note: Twenty-four states, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands have OSHA-approved State Plans and have adopted their own standards and enforcement policies. For the most part, these States adopt standards that are identical to Federal OSHA. However, some States have adopted different standards applicable to this topic or may have different enforcement policies.

General Industry (29 CFR 1910)

• 1910 Subpart Z, Toxic and hazardous substances [related topic page]
  • 1910.1030, Bloodborne pathogens [related topic page]

• Survey of Automatic External Defibrillator Use in Occupational Settings; Proposed Information Collection Activity; Request for Comment. Notice 70:23234-23236, (2005, May 4). OSHA plans to supplement a statistical survey with extended case study interviews with selected respondents, as there is limited information about AED use in occupational settings.
• Electric Power Generation, Transmission, and Distribution; Electrical Protective Equipment; Proposed Rule. Proposed Rules 70:34821-34980, (2005, June 15). Included as part of the proposed rule, OSHA requests information on costs, safety, and efficacy of and experience with AED devices.
• Search all available Federal Registers.

• Enforcement Procedures for the Occupational Exposure to Bloodborne Pathogens. CPL 02-02-069 [CPL 2-2.69], (2001, November 27). Employers will not be cited if they have not offered the hepatitis B vaccination series to an employee whose only exposure to blood would be responding to injuries resulting from workplace incidents as long as this was only a collateral duty of the employee and certain other requirements have been met. Members of an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) Team would also fall under this category if the same conditions exist.
• Search all available directives.

• Emergency medical services on construction sites. (2005, March 2).
• Automated External Defibrillator training is not specifically required by the Permit-Required Confined Space standard; AEDs are not required first aid supplies. (2004, June 17).
• Hepatitis B vaccination requirements for employees providing first aid as a collateral duty. (2000, November 1). OSHA has provided an exception in its enforcement policy for members of automated external defibrillator (AED) teams that meet certain conditions.
• Search all available standard interpretations.