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Short answer
Administrative controls are work practices and rules that reduce how long, how often or how intensely people are exposed to a hazard. They sit fourth of five in the hierarchy of controls, below elimination, substitution and engineering controls, because they depend on people following them rather than on removing the hazard.
Definition and scope
NIOSH describes administrative controls as work practices that “reduce the duration, frequency, or intensity of exposure to hazards.” The Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS) describes them as “developing procedures to ensure the work is conducted in a way that minimizes the hazard.” OSHA’s hazard prevention page summarises the idea as “change the way people work.”
The scope is the organisation of work, not the equipment. A fume hood or a guard changes the physical situation and is an engineering control; a rule about who may use the hood, and when, is administrative. Gloves and respirators are personal protective equipment (see what lab PPE is). The full five-level ranking is explained in the hierarchy of controls entry.
How administrative controls are used in practice
NIOSH lists work process training, job rotation, adequate rest breaks, limiting access to hazardous areas or machinery, and adjusting line speeds as examples. CCOHS adds a preventive maintenance program, scheduling maintenance and other high-exposure operations for times when few workers are present, restricting the task to those competent or qualified to perform it, and using signs to warn workers of a hazard.
NIOSH also notes that administrative controls and PPE “are useful when employers are in the process of implementing other control methods from the hierarchy.” In that role they are a bridge, not the destination.
Types of administrative control, and where each is named
Each row names the source that lists the type. The last column shows which laboratory-specific duty in the OSHA Laboratory Standard (29 CFR 1910.1450) covers similar ground. That standard does not use the phrase “administrative controls”; the match is by nature of the provision, not by the regulation’s own label.
| Type | Named by | Related Laboratory Standard provision |
|---|---|---|
| Training and education | NIOSH (work process training) | Employee information and training, 1910.1450(e)(3)(iv); refresher frequency is set by the employer under (f)(2) |
| Written procedures and policies | CCOHS (developing procedures to ensure work is conducted in a way that minimizes the hazard) | Standard operating procedures relevant to safety and health, 1910.1450(e)(3)(i) |
| Restricting access or limiting tasks to qualified workers | NIOSH (limiting access to hazardous areas); CCOHS (restricting access to a work area, restricting the task to qualified workers) | Circumstances requiring prior approval of an operation, procedure or activity, 1910.1450(e)(3)(v) |
| Assigning responsibility | Not named as a type by NIOSH or CCOHS | Designation of personnel responsible for implementing the Chemical Hygiene Plan, 1910.1450(e)(3)(vii) |
| Scheduling, rotation and rest | NIOSH (job rotation, rest breaks); CCOHS (work-rest schedules, scheduling high-exposure operations for times when few workers are present) | None named in the standard |
| Preventive maintenance and warning signs | CCOHS (preventive maintenance program, warning signs) | None named in the standard |
Where it matters for labs and clinics
A laboratory covered by the Laboratory Standard must have a written Chemical Hygiene Plan, and the plan must contain the provisions in the table above: standard operating procedures, criteria for choosing control measures, training, prior-approval circumstances and named responsible personnel. The plan must also be reviewed and evaluated for effectiveness at least annually under 1910.1450(e)(4). In practice, a lab’s administrative controls are largely the written content of that plan. The chemical hygiene plan entry and the guide on how to write and maintain a chemical hygiene plan cover the document itself.
Administrative controls also come out of task-level analysis. A job hazard analysis of lab procedures identifies which steps need a written procedure, restricted access or extra training, and the lab safety rules guide shows the everyday rules that result.
Why they rank below engineering controls
The two public-health sources give complementary reasons. NIOSH says administrative controls and PPE “require significant and ongoing effort by workers and their supervisors.” CCOHS ranks them lower because “these methods do not necessarily remove or reduce the hazard from the workplace,” and advises that “administrative controls should be used in combination with other control measures where possible.” A rule can be forgotten, skipped under time pressure or applied unevenly, while a physical barrier works whether or not anyone remembers it.
Common misunderstandings
Training alone controls the hazard
Training is one administrative control. NIOSH lists work process training among its examples, in the fourth tier of a hierarchy that places elimination, substitution and engineering controls above it.
Signs and access rules count as engineering controls
Warning signs (CCOHS) and access restrictions (CCOHS and NIOSH) are listed as administrative. They tell or limit people; they do not physically change the hazard.
PPE and administrative controls are the same level
They are separate levels. NIOSH groups them as both needing ongoing effort and as useful while other controls are being implemented, but the hierarchy places administrative controls fourth and PPE last.
Administrative controls are optional extras
Where a laboratory falls under 1910.1450, the written procedures, training, prior-approval criteria and responsible personnel above are required content of the Chemical Hygiene Plan.
FAQ
Where do administrative controls rank in the hierarchy of controls?
Fourth of five. NIOSH gives the preferred order as elimination, substitution, engineering controls, administrative controls, then PPE.
Are administrative controls enough on their own?
CCOHS advises using them in combination with other control measures where possible, because the hazard itself is not removed or reduced.
Does the OSHA Laboratory Standard use the term administrative controls?
No. The text of 29 CFR 1910.1450 does not use the phrase, but several Chemical Hygiene Plan provisions, such as standard operating procedures, training and prior-approval criteria, are administrative in nature.
Sources
- NIOSH, Hierarchy of Controls, checked 2026-10-29.
- OSHA, Hazard Prevention and Control, checked 2026-10-29.
- OSHA, 29 CFR 1910.1450, Occupational exposure to hazardous chemicals in laboratories, paragraphs (e)(3), (e)(4) and (f), checked 2026-10-29.
- CCOHS, Hierarchy of Controls, checked 2026-10-29.
