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". In addition to the specific OSHA standards listed below, there are national consensus standards which OSHA could consider referencing in a general duty clause citation.

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 J, General environmental controls
  • 1910.141, Sanitation

Shipyard Employment (29 CFR 1915)

• 1915 Subpart F, General working conditions
  • 1915.97, Health and sanitation

Construction Industry (29 CFR 1926)

• 1926 Subpart D, Occupational health and environmental control
  • 1926.51, Sanitation

• Assigned Protection Factors. Final Rules 71:50121-50192, (2006, August 24). Revises the existing Respiratory Protection Standard to add definitions and requirements for Assigned Protection Factors (APFs) and Maximum Use Concentrations (MUCs). The revisions also supersede the respirator selection provisions of existing substance-specific standards with these new APFs (except for the respirator selection provisions of the 1,3-Butadiene Standard).
• Indoor Air Quality. Notice 66:64946, (2001, December 17). OSHA withdrew its Indoor Air Quality proposal and terminated the rulemaking proceeding.
• Respiratory Protection. Final Rules 63:1152-1300, (1998, January 8). Justifies the use of respirators to prevent the inhalation of harmful airborne contaminants that are alive or were released from a living organism. Respirators protect against bacterial infections resulting from inhalation of bacteria and their products that cause a range of diseases.
• Indoor Air Quality. Proposed Rules 59:15968-16039, (1994, April 5). OSHA proposed to adopt standards that addressed indoor air quality in indoor work environments.

• Enforcement Policy for Respiratory Hazards Not Covered by OSHA Permissible Exposure Limits. (2003, January 24).
• Record retention requirements for indoor air quality documents and reports. (2002, August 1).
• Search all available standard interpretations.

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

• 62.1-2007, Ventilation for Acceptable Indoor Air Quality. Sets minimum ventilation rates and other requirements for commercial and institutional buildings.

• S500, Standard and Reference Guide for Professional Water Damage Restoration. Provides a specific set of practical standards for water damage restoration. It does not attempt to teach comprehensive water damage restoration procedures; rather it provides the foundation for basic principles of proper restoration practices.
• S520, Standard and Reference Guide for Professional Mold Remediation. Establishes mold contamination definitions, descriptions and conditions (1, 2, 3), and general guidance, which, when properly applied, can assist remediators and others in determining criteria that trigger remediation activities or confirm remediation success.