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 E, Exit routes, emergency action plans, and fire prevention plans [related topic page]
  • 1910.38, Emergency action plans
• 1910 Subpart H, Hazardous materials [related topic page]
  • 1910.120, Hazardous waste operations and emergency response
    • Appendix A, Personal protective equipment test methods
    • Appendix B, General description and discussion of the levels of protective gear
    • Appendix C, Compliance guidelines
    • Appendix D, References
    • Appendix E, Training curriculum guidelines (Non-mandatory)
• 1910 Subpart I, Personal protective equipment [related topic page]
  • 1910.134, Respiratory protection [related topic page]
• 1910 Subpart J, General environmental controls
  • 1910.141, Sanitation
  • 1910.146, Permit-required confined spaces [related topic page]
    • Appendix A, Permit-required confined spaces decision flow chart
    • Appendix B, Procedures for atmospheric testing
    • Appendix C, Examples of permit-required confined spaces programs
    • Appendix D, Confined space pre-entry check list
    • Appendix E, Sewer system entry
• 1910 Subpart L, Fire protection [related topic page]
  • 1910.165, Employee alarm systems
• 1910 Subpart Z, Toxic and hazardous substances [related topic page]
  • 1910.1200, Hazard communication [related topic page]

Construction Industry (29 CFR 1926)

• 1926 Subpart D, Occupational health and environmental controls
  • 1926.65, Hazardous waste operations and emergency response
    • Appendix A, Personal protective equipment test methods
    • Appendix B, General description and discussion of the levels of protective gear
    • Appendix C, Compliance guidelines
    • Appendix D, References
    • Appendix E, Training curriculum guidelines (Non-mandatory)

• Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response (1990)
• Search all available preambles to final rules.

• Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response. Final Rules 59:43268-43280 (1994, August 22).
• Search all available Federal Registers.

• 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.
• Technical Enforcement and Assistance Guidelines for Hazardous Waste Site and RCRA Corrective Action Clean-up Operations HAZWOPER 1910.120 (b)-(o) Directive. CPL 02-02-071, (2003, November 5).
• Compliance policy for emergency action plans and fire prevention plans. CPL 02-01-037 [CPL 2-1.037], (2002, July 9). Clarifies several Regional Instructions regarding 29 CFR 1910.38. Change to OSHA Instruction CPL 2-2.59A, Inspection Procedures for the Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response Standard, Appendix F, page F-3, rescind citation policy of 29 CFR 1910.120(q)(1), April 24, 1998. Rescinds Clarifications of Interpretations and Citation Policy on 29 CFR 1910.38 and 1910.157 Standards, June 24, 1992.
• Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response; Final Rule and Corrections. CSP 01-01-024 [STP 2-1.154C], (1991, June 10). Describes a federal program change to the regions and state designees.
• Changes to the Regulatory and General Industry Standard Alleged Violation Elements (SAVES). CPL 02-00-035 [CPL 2.35 CH-14], (1990, December 3). Transmits revised and new pages to the Regulatory and General Industry SAVEs Manual for "Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response" and "Control of Hazardous Energy Source (Lockout/Tagout)."
• Search all available directives.

• Draft Model Training Program for Hazard Communication
  

Note: These are NOT OSHA regulations. However, they do provide guidance from their originating organizations related to worker protection.

• 40 CFR Part 311, Worker protection. Describes the applicability of OSHA's HAZWOPER Standard, 29 CFR 1910.120, to state and local government employees.

Note: These are NOT OSHA regulations. However, they do provide guidance from their originating organizations related to worker protection.

• D6235 - 04, Standard Practice for Expedited Site Characterization of Vadose Zone and Ground Water Contamination at Hazardous Waste Contaminated Sites.
• D6498 - 99(2007), Standard Guide for Household Hazardous Waste Training Outline for Household Hazardous Waste Collection Operations. (2007).