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 G, Occupational health and environment control
  • 1910.94, Ventilation [related topic page]
  • 1910.95, Occupational noise exposure [related topic page]
• 1910 Subpart H, Hazardous materials
  • 1910.120, Hazardous waste operations and emergency response [related topic page]
• 1910 Subpart I, Personal protective equipment
  • 1910.132, General requirements
  • 1910.133, Eye and face protection [related topic page]
  • 1910.134, Respiratory protection [related topic page]
  • 1910.135, Head protection
  • 1910.136, Occupational foot protection
  • 1910.137, Electrical protective devices
  • 1910.138, Hand protection
  • Appendix A, References for further information (Non-mandatory)
  • Appendix B, Non-mandatory compliance guidelines for hazard assessment and personal protective equipment selection
• 1910 Subpart J, General environmental controls
  • 1910.146, Permit-required confined spaces [related topic page]
• 1910 Subpart Q, Welding, cutting, and brazing
  • 1910.252, General requirements [related topic page]
• 1910 Subpart Z, Toxic and hazardous substances [related topic page]

Shipyard Employment (29 CFR 1915)

• 1915 Subpart I, Personal protective equipment
  • 1915.151, Scope, application and definitions
  • 1915.152, General requirements
  • 1915.153, Eye and face protection
  • 1915.154, Respiratory protection
  • 1915.155, Head protection
  • 1915.156, Foot protection
  • 1915.157, Hand and body protection
  • 1915.158, Lifesaving equipment
  • 1915.159, Personal fall arrest systems (PFAS)
  • 1915.160, Positioning device systems
  • Appendix A, Non-mandatory guidelines for hazard assessment, personal protective equipment (PPE) selection, and PPE training program
  • Appendix B, General testing conditions and additional guidelines for personal fall protection systems (Non-mandatory)

Marine Terminals (29 CFR 1917)

• 1917 Subpart E, Personal protection
  • 1917.91, Eye and face protection
  • 1917.92, Respiratory protection
  • 1917.93, Head protection
  • 1917.94, Foot protection
  • 1917.95, Other protective measures

Longshoring (29 CFR 1918)

• 1918 Subpart J, Personal protective equipment
  • 1918.101, Eye and face protection
  • 1918.102, Respiratory protection
  • 1918.103, Head protection
  • 1918.104, Foot protection
  • 1918.105, Other protective measures
  • Appendix I, Cargo gear register and certificates (Non-mandatory)

• The OSHA Regulatory Agenda contains an entry related to personal protective equipment (PPE).

• Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for Shipyard Employment (1996)
  • I. Background
  • II. Workplace Hazards
  • III. Summary and Explanation of Final Rule
  • IV. Summary of Final Economic Analysis, Regulatory Flexibility Analysis, and Environmental Impact Assessment Summary
  • VI. Statutory Considerations
• Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for General Industry (1994)
• Search all available preambles to final rules.

• Employer Payment for Personal Protective Equipment; Final Rule. Final Rules 72:64341-64430, (2007, November 15).
• Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Standards for Shipyard Employment; Extension of the Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) Approval of Information Collection (Paperwork) Requirements. Notice 71:29987-29989, (2006, May 24).
• Nationwide Site-Specific Targeting (SST) Inspection Program. Notice 69:41851-41852, (2004, July 12).
• Employer Payment for Personal Protective Equipment. Notice 69:41221-41225, (2004, July 8). Discusses the evidence currently in the record and presents a series of questions to assist the public in providing further information that would be helpful to OSHA.
• Employer Payment For Personal Protective Equipment. Proposed Rules 64:15401-15441, (1999, March 31). Suggests the employer's responsibility for payment of personal protective equipment costs.
• Personal Protective Equipment for Shipyard Employment (PPE). Final Rules 61:29957-29958, (1996, June 13). Makes corrections to the final rule on personal protective equipment for shipyard employment, which was published in the federal register on May 24, 1996 at 61 FR 26322.
• Personal Protective Equipment for Shipyard Employment (PPE). Final Rules 61:26321-26360, (1996, May 24). Discusses revisions of PPE standards for shipyard employment. 
• Personal Protective Equipment for General Industry. Final Rules 61:19547-19548, (1996, May 2).
• Personal Protective Equipment for Shipyard Employment. Proposed Rules 59:34586-34589, (1994, July 6). 
• Personal Protective Equipment for General Industry. Final Rules 59:33910-33911, (1994, July 1). Corrects the final rule on personal protective equipment for general industry.
• Personal Protective Equipment for General Industry. Final Rules 59:16334-16364, (1994, April 6). Discusses revisions of personal protective equipment standards.
• Search all available Federal Registers.

• National Emphasis Program – Crystalline Silica. OSHA Directive CPL 03-00-007, (2008, January 24). Includes an updated list of industries commonly known to have overexposures to silica; detailed information on potential hazards linked to silica and about current research regarding silica exposure hazards; guidance on calculating the Permissible Exposure Limits (PELs) for dust containing respirable crystalline silica in the construction and maritime industries; and guidance on conducting silica-related inspections.
• Inspection Procedures for 29 CFR 1910.120 and 1926.65, Paragraph (q): Emergency Response to Hazardous Substance Releases. CPL 02-02-073, (2007, August 27). Also available as a 444 KB PDF, 119 pages. Updates enforcement procedures for compliance officers who need to conduct inspections of emergency response operations. It defines additional terms and expands on training requirements for emergency responders and other groups such as skilled support personnel. This OSHA instruction revises CPL 02-02-059, issued April 24, 1998.
• Enforcement Procedures for the Occupational Exposure to Bloodborne Pathogens. CPL 02-02-069 [CPL 2-2.69], (2001, November 27).
• Respiratory Protection Program Guidelines. CPL 02-02-054 [CPL 2-2.54A], (2000, July, 14).
• Inspection procedures for the Respiratory Protection Standard. CPL 02-00-120 [CPL 2-0.120], (1998, September 25).
• Logging Operations, Inspection Procedures and Interpretive Guidance Including Twelve Previously Stayed Provisions. CPL 02-01-022 [CPL 2-1.22], (1996, September 27).
• 29 CFR Part 1915, Subpart I, Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for Shipyard Employment -- Inspection Procedures and Interpretive Guidelines. STD 02-04-002 [STD 2-4.2], (1996, September 27).
• Inspection Guidelines for 29 CFR 1910. Subpart I, the revised Personal Protective Equipment Standards for General Industry. STD 01-06-006 [STD 1-6.6], (1995, June 16).
• Logging Operations, Inspection Procedures and Interpretive Guidance. CPL 02-01-019 [CPL 2-1.19], (1995, March 17).
• Exemption for Religious Reason from Wearing Hard Hats. STD 01-06-005 [STD 1-6.5], (1994, June 20).
• Guidelines for Laser Safety and Hazard Assessment. STD 01-05-001 [PUB 8-1.7], (1991, August 5).
• 29 CFR 1910.134(e)(5)-- Respirator Fit-Testing. CPL 02-02-029 [CPL 2-2.29], (1980, October 27).
• Inorganic Mercury and its Compounds. CPL 02-02-006 [CPL 2-2.6], (1978, October 30). Procedures regarding exposure to mercury in the workplace, including the use of personal protective equipment.
• Search all available directives.

• General Duty Clause (5(a)(1)) citations on multi-employer worksites;NFPA 70E electrical safety requirements and personal protective equipment. (2003, July 25). Discusses the relevance of NFPA 70E industry consensus standard to OSHA requirements.
• Interpretation of OSHA requirements for personal protective equipment to be used during marine oil spill emergency response operations. (1995, September 11). Discusses OSHA requirements for personal protective equipment to be used during marine oil spill emergency response operations.
• The application of the Personal Protective Equipment standard to PPE hazard assessment and training for laboratory and clinical health care workers. (1995, January 23). Discusses the application of 29 CFR 1910.132 to PPE hazard assessment and training for laboratory and clinical health care workers.
• Clarification of 1926.28(a) as to whether an orange vest constitutes personal protective equipment. (1984, July 23). Reconsiders whether orange vests are personal protective equipment within the meaning of 29 CFR 1926.28(a).
• OSHA regulations governing the use of personal protective equipment. (1976, December 2). Addresses OSHA regulations governing the use of personal protective equipment.
• Search all available standard interpretations.