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Who this is for: lab managers, safety officers and research administrators who need to read, cite and navigate 29 CFR Part 1910 and know which parts reach a laboratory. This is general regulatory information, not legal advice.
Short answer
29 CFR Part 1910, titled “Occupational Safety and Health Standards,” is the part of Title 29 (Labor) of the Code of Federal Regulations that holds OSHA’s general industry standards. It is organised into lettered subparts, A through Z. Laboratories most often meet it through the laboratory standard at 29 CFR 1910.1450, which sits in Subpart Z and requires a written Chemical Hygiene Plan.
Definition and scope
A citation such as “29 CFR 1910.1450” reads as Title 29, Part 1910, section 1450. “29 CFR Part 1910” and “CFR Title 29 Part 1910” are the same thing. Part 1910 is general industry; construction work is covered separately, in Part 1926 (see below). Per the OSHA standards index and the eCFR structure for Title 29, the part currently lists the subparts in the table below (checked 2026-11-08).
How the part is organised: subparts A to Z
| Subpart | Title (as listed by OSHA and the eCFR) |
|---|---|
| A | General |
| B | Adoption and Extension of Established Federal Standards |
| C | [Reserved] |
| D | Walking-Working Surfaces |
| E | Exit Routes and Emergency Planning |
| F | Powered Platforms, Manlifts, and Vehicle-Mounted Work Platforms |
| G | Occupational Health and Environmental Control |
| H | Hazardous Materials |
| I | Personal Protective Equipment |
| J | General Environmental Controls |
| K | Medical and First Aid |
| L | Fire Protection |
| M | Compressed Gas and Compressed Air Equipment |
| N | Materials Handling and Storage |
| O | Machinery and Machine Guarding |
| P | Hand and Portable Powered Tools and Other Hand-Held Equipment |
| Q | Welding, Cutting and Brazing |
| R | Special Industries |
| S | Electrical |
| T | Commercial Diving Operations |
| U | COVID-19 |
| V-Y | [Reserved] |
| Z | Toxic and Hazardous Substances |
Editorial note: from the titles alone, the subparts a laboratory is most likely to meet are E (exit routes), H (hazardous materials), I (personal protective equipment), K (medical and first aid), L (fire protection), M (compressed gas), S (electrical) and Z (toxic and hazardous substances). Whether a given section applies depends on the work and the section’s own scope paragraph.
How a laboratory meets Part 1910 in practice
The laboratory standard sits inside Subpart Z
Section 1910.1450, “Occupational exposure to hazardous chemicals in laboratories,” states that it “shall apply to all employers engaged in the laboratory use of hazardous chemicals.” Paragraph (a)(2) says it takes the place of most other Subpart Z health standards for laboratories, with specific exceptions, and paragraph (a)(3) excludes uses that do not meet the standard’s definition of laboratory use and laboratory uses with no potential employee exposure. Under paragraph (e)(1), the employer must develop and carry out a written Chemical Hygiene Plan that protects employees and keeps exposures below the limits in paragraph (c). See our chemical hygiene plan entry and the guide to permissible exposure limits in laboratories.
How to read a 1910 citation
Take “1910.37(b)(1)”: 1910 is the part, 37 is the section (in Subpart E), (b) is the paragraph, (1) is the subparagraph. The subpart letter is not part of the citation, so use the subpart table above to find the neighbourhood a section belongs to.
Where it matters for labs, clinics and supply decisions
Several Part 1910 subparts line up with equipment and consumables decisions: Subpart I with PPE (see the OSHA PPE standard), Subpart M with compressed gas equipment (see compressed gas cylinder safety), Subpart K with medical and first aid, and Subpart Z with hazard communication and chemical exposure (see the Hazard Communication Standard in laboratories). Use the cited section, not a summary, to decide what a specific rule requires.
1910 versus 1926
Under 1910.12, “construction work” means “work for construction, alteration, and/or repair, including painting and decorating,” and paragraph (a) adopts the Part 1926 standards as OSHA standards for construction work. In short, Part 1910 is the general industry rulebook and Part 1926 is the construction rulebook. A fit-out or renovation of a lab space is construction work, while ongoing lab operations are general industry.
Common misunderstandings
- “Part 1910 is one checklist.” It is a set of separate standards, many with their own scope and exceptions.
- “Every lab chemical rule is in Subpart H.” Subpart H is titled Hazardous Materials; the laboratory standard is in Subpart Z.
- “A summary on a document-sharing site is the current rule.” Cite the section text published by OSHA or the eCFR.
FAQ
What are the general industry regulations of OSHA?
They are the standards in 29 CFR Part 1910, organised in subparts A to Z (table above), covering topics from walking-working surfaces and exit routes to PPE, machine guarding, electrical safety and toxic and hazardous substances.
Is it an OSHA violation to not have lights?
Lighting is addressed by specific sections, and a lack of lighting is a violation where it breaks one of them. For exit routes, 1910.37(b)(1) requires that “each exit route must be adequately lighted so that an employee with normal vision can see along the exit route.” Section 1910.37(b)(6) requires an exit sign to be illuminated to at least five foot-candles (54 lux) by a reliable light source, and 1910.37(a)(4) requires safeguards such as exit lighting to be kept in proper working order at all times.
What is a qualified person as defined in 29 CFR 1910 Subpart S?
Section 1910.399 defines it as “one who has received training in and has demonstrated skills and knowledge in the construction and operation of electric equipment and installations and the hazards involved.”
Is there a PDF version of 29 CFR 1910 available?
OSHA publishes each Part 1910 section online at osha.gov, and the eCFR publishes the current text of the whole part. Use those for the current wording; the eCFR is updated continuously, so a saved copy can go out of date.
What does 29 CFR 1910.120 require?
It is a separate section that this guide does not summarise. Read the section text on OSHA’s site for its scope and requirements.
Sources
- OSHA, Part 1910 standards index: osha.gov/laws-regs/regulations/standardnumber/1910 (read 2026-11-08)
- OSHA, 1910.1450, 1910.399, 1910.37 and 1910.12 section pages under the same index (read 2026-11-08)
- eCFR, Title 29, Part 1910 structure (read 2026-11-08)
