Skip to main content
← Resources
Compliance guides

Field guides

Each guide answers a compliance question in plain language and quotes the controlling Code of Federal Regulations text. It also cites the OSHA enforcement numbers behind the standard and links the official source on osha.gov and ecfr.gov, and we do not state a requirement we cannot cite.

A plant worker in a hard hat, safety glasses and a blue coverall holding a tablet in a factory hall
Record
29 CFR and enforcement
Guides
4 on file
Citations
All link to .gov
Most cited
1910.1200(e)(1)

The guides

All citations link to .gov

The guide explains when fall protection is required, which is 6 ft or more in construction, 4 ft or more in general industry, more than 10 ft on scaffolds and more than 15 ft in steel erection, with the CFR text for each. 1926.501(b)(13) is the most-cited construction standard, with 109,561 citations on record.

OSHA Hazard Communication Standard (29 CFR 1910.1200)
29 CFR 1910.1200, Hazard communication

The HazCom standard requires a written program, safety data sheets, labels, and training, and 1910.1200(e)(1) is the most-cited OSHA standard, with 209,776 citations on record.

OSHA Lockout/Tagout Requirements (29 CFR 1910.147)
29 CFR 1910.147, Hazardous energy

The lockout/tagout standard, 1910.147, requires energy-control procedures, an annual periodic inspection, and training, and it is a Top 10 OSHA citation year after year. The guide explains each requirement with the controlling CFR text and OSHA enforcement data.

What Is an OSHA Letter of Interpretation?
OSHA Letters of Interpretation, Agency guidance

How OSHA Letters of Interpretation work, how much authority they carry, and how to find, cite, and request them when a standard is ambiguous.

For the enforcement data behind the standards in the guides, read the most-cited OSHA standards by industry, or run the free OSHA citation-risk tool to rank the standards most cited in your NAICS industry and state.

These guides cover the general rule. Get the cited answer for your own facility from the full federal record.