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.

Highlighted Standards

General Industry (29 CFR 1910)

• 1910.1000, Air contaminants
  • Table Z-1, Limits for air contaminants
  • Table Z-2
• 1910.1200, Hazard communication

Federal Registers

• Occupational Exposure to Beryllium; Request for Information. Notice 67:70707-70712, (2002, November 26). OSHA requests information and comment on issues related to occupational exposure to beryllium, including current employee exposures to beryllium; the relationship between exposure to beryllium and the development of adverse health effects; exposure assessment and monitoring methods; exposure control methods; employee training; medical surveillance for adverse health effects related to beryllium exposure; and other pertinent subjects. The information received in response to this document will assist the Agency in determining an appropriate course of action regarding occupational beryllium exposure.
• Search all available Federal Registers.

Unified Agenda

• The OSHA Regulatory Agenda contains an entry related to beryllium.

Other Federal

Department of Energy (DOE)

Note: These are not OSHA regulations. However, they do provide guidance from their originating organizations related to worker protection, and may be referenced by OSHA inspectors for informational purposes.

• 10 CFR Part 850, Chronic Beryllium Disease Prevention Program; Final Rule. (1999, December 8), 400 KB PDF, 62 pages.
• 10 CFR Part 850 Part II, Chronic Beryllium Disease Prevention Program; Final Rule. (2006, February 9), 510 KB PDF, 92 pages.

• Chronic Beryllium Disease Prevention Program. US Department of Energy (DOE), (1999, December 8). Provides links to DOE policies, guidance, training regarding beryllium and a search feature of DOE resources through the responses to inquiries link.