Medical Access Order
OSHA standard 29
CFR 1913.10(a) states: OSHA access to employee medical records will, in
certain circumstances, be important to the agency's performance of its statutory
functions. Medical records, however, contain personal details concerning the
lives of employees. Due to the substantial personal privacy interests involved,
OSHA authority to gain access to personally identifiable employee medical
information will be exercised only after the agency has made a careful
determination of its need for this information, and only with appropriate
safeguards to protect individual privacy.
Once this information is obtained, OSHA examination and the use of it will be
limited to only that information needed to accomplish the purpose (or access).
Personal identifiable employee medical information will be retained by OSHA
only for so long as needed to accomplish the purpose for access. This will be
kept secure while being used and will not be disclosed to other agencies or
members of the public except in narrowly defined circumstances.
Medical access orders (MAOs) are addressed in specific standards
for the general industry, rules concerning OSHA access to employee medical
records, and shipyard employment.
OSHA Standards
This section highlights OSHA
standards, directives (instructions for compliance officers), and standard interpretations (official letters of interpretation of
the standards) related to MAOs.
Note: Twenty-five 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)
Rules Concerning OSHA Access to Employee Medical Records
(29 CFR
1913)
- 1913.10,
Rules of agency practice and procedure concerning OSHA access to
employee medical records
Shipyard Employment (29 CFR
1915)
Directives
Standard Interpretations
OSHA Resources
The following links provide OSHA resources regarding the
need for and accessibility of medical access orders (MAOs).
-
Office of Occupational Medicine (OOM). OSHA. Provides
direct advisory and technical services in support of compliance and cooperative
activities. Administratively, OOM has the Agency's authority to use Medical
Access Orders (MAOs).
- Medical Access Order (MAO) Request Form [64 KB
PDF*, 2 pages].
To obtain a Medical Access Order (MAO), the Principal OSHA Investigator or another authorized OSHA employee must submit a completed MAO Request Form to the Office of Occupational Medicine
(OOM).
- Access
to Medical and Exposure Records. OSHA Publication 3110, (2001). Also available as a 136 KB
PDF, 8 pages.
Explains OSHA requirements permitting workers to obtain medical chemical exposure records that employers maintain.
- Injury and Illness Recordkeeping.
OSHA Safety and Health Topics Page.
Accessibility Assistance: Contact the OSHA Directorate of Technical Support and Emergency Management at (202) 693-2300 for assistance accessing PDF materials.
*These files are provided for downloading.