OSHA is an acronym for Occupational Safety and Health Administration. They are organizations set up by the United States for the occupational safety and health of workers in the workplace. OSHA is critical in ensuring workplace safety is maintained in various industries. OSHA has a series of safety standards that are essential for employees and employers to ensure safety compliance in the workplace.
OSHA serves as a guideline on safety and health that all persons involved at work must follow to maintain a healthy workplace. Their standards cover ergonomics, manual handling, work at height, personal protective equipment, and physical and chemical hazards. All organizations in the US must comply with the OSHA standards, or they will face sanctions and penalties.
However, OSHA Standards are categorized based on the industry they regulate; the main categories we have are General Industry, Maritime industry standards, and Construction standards, and each industry has specific standards that are meant for them.
Below is a list of OSHA Standards and the respective areas that they are covering.
List of OSHA Standards
(1.) Standard 29 CFR 1910 for General Industry
The Standard covers the activities of the general industry and activities related to hazard communication, machinery, machine guarding, respiratory protection, etc.
(2.) Standard 29 CFR 1926 for Construction Industry
(3.) Standard 29 CFR 1915 for Maritime Industry
Specific OSHA Standards from General Industry(29 CFR 1910)
29 CFR 1910.1200 Hazard Communication Standard.
This Standard requires that the hazards of all chemicals produced or imported are classified. That information concerning the classified hazards is transmitted to employers, employees, and other persons in the workplace who may be affected by the work process. Other matters involved in this standard include comprehensive hazard communication programs, container labeling and other warning forms, safety data sheets and employee training, written hazard communication programs for the workplace, etc.
29 CFR 1910.134 Respiratory Protection.
This Standard involves controlling occupational diseases caused by breathing air contaminated with harmful dust, fogs, fumes, mists, gases, smoke, sprays, or vapors. The Standard is designed to prevent atmospheric contamination by introducing various measures, including accepted engineering control measures, for example, enclosure or confinement of the operation, general and local ventilation, and substitution of less toxic materials and other appropriate measures when adequate engineering controls are not feasible.t also details the various responsibilities that the employers have to do to control the atmospheric contamination within the workplace.
29 CFR 1926.501 Fall Protection
This Standard has different sections that handle specific requirements for fall protection and everything associated with doing work at a height, and has requirements for employers to provide fall protection systems. The employers have some responsibilities in this Standard to ensure that the employees are protected while doing work at height; for instance, the employer shall determine if the walking/working surfaces on which its employees are to work have the strength and structural integrity to support them safely.
29 CFR 1926.147 Lockout/Tag out
This Standard covers the servicing and maintenance of machines and equipment, which is the unexpected start-up of the machines or equipment. This Standard establishes minimum performance requirements for controlling such hazardous energy because the surprising release of stored energy could cause injury to employees.
29 CFR 1926.132 Personal Protection Equipment
This Standard involves personal protective equipment for eyes, face, head, and extremities, protective clothing, respiratory devices, and protective shields and barriers. The Standard also listed what the employers shall provide to the employees at any time and in any environment they are working to prevent hazards from causing injury or impairment in the function of any part of the body through absorption, inhalation, or physical contact.
29 CFR 1926.1030 Bloodborne Pathogen
This Standard has to do with bloodborne pathogens and all actions that the employer and employees have to take concerning them in the workplace. Bloodborne pathogens are pathogenic microorganisms present in human blood and can cause human disease. They include hepatitis B virus (HBV), human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), and so on.
29 CFR 1926.212 Machine Guarding
This Standard has to do with guarding and various guarding that should be provided in the workplace for all machines to protect workers from exposure to machine parts that can cause harm to them. The Standard included that machine guarding shall be provided to protect the operator and other employees in the machine area. The machine guards that can be deployed to prevent employees from hazards are barrier guards, two-hand tripping devices, and electronic safety devices. Various hazards, such as those created by point of operation, ingoing nip points, rotating parts, flying chips, and sparks, can cause harm to the workers.
29 CFR 1926. Subpart D, Walking-Working Surfaces.
This Standard has to do with all walking-working surfaces of all types in the workplace. Walking working means any horizontal or vertical surface on or through which an employee walks, works, or gains access to a work area or workplace location.
29 CFR 1926.146 Confined Spaces.
This Standard contains requirements for practices and procedures to protect employees in general industry from the hazards of entry into permit-required confined spaces. The requirements involve what the workers and employees are to do to ensure safe work while working in the confined spaces existing in the workplace.
Conclusion
There are many OSHA standards in place, but the list is among the key ones everyone should know. Most of them have to do with workplace safety and health.
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