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What is OSHA: Topic 4 - What do the OSHA Standards say? 

A. Types of Standards

Now, let’s talk briefly about the OSHA standards. OSHA standards fall into four categories: General Industry, Construction, Maritime, and Agriculture.

OSHA issues standards for a wide variety of workplace hazards, including:

• Toxic substances

• Electrical hazards

• Fall hazards

• Hazardous waste

• Machine hazards

• Infectious diseases

• Fire and explosion hazards and

• Dangerous atmospheres.

In addition, as we discussed previously, where there are no specific OSHA standards, employers must comply with the OSH Act's "general duty clause." The General Duty Clause, Section 5(a)(1), requires that each employer "furnish ... a place of employment which [is] free from recognized hazards that are causing or are likely to cause death or serious physical harm to his employees. 

B. How the Standards are Organized

OSHA standards appear in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR). The OSHA standards are broken down into Parts. Part 1910 is known as the General Industry Standards. Some of the types of industries covered by the General Industry standards are manufacturing, the service sector, and health care. Part 1926 covers the Construction industry. Parts 1915, 1917 and 1918 are Maritime Industry standards.

Next:  Topic 5. How are OSHA Inspections Conducted?