Surface Contamination

Standards

There is currently no surface contamination criteria or quantifications for skin absorption included in OSHA standards. However, some specific OSHA standards contain housekeeping provisions that address the issue of surface contamination. Exposures to various chemical components are addressed in specific OSHA standards for general industry and construction. This section highlights OSHA standards and documents related to surface contamination.

OSHA Standards

General Industry (29 CFR 1910)
General Industry (29 CFR 1910)		Related Information
1910 Subpart H - Hazardous Materials		Related Information
1910 Subpart H - Hazardous Materials	1910.120, Hazardous waste operations and emergency response.	Related Information
1910 Subpart Z - Toxic and Hazardous Substances
	1910.1001, Asbestos.	Related Information
	1910.1018, Inorganic arsenic.	Related Information
	1910.1025, Lead.	Related Information
	1910.1026, Chromium (VI).	Related Information
	1910.1027, Cadmium.	Related Information
	1910.1030, Bloodborne pathogens.	Related Information
	1910.1044, 1,2-dibromo-3-chloropropane.	Related Information
	1910.1045, Acrylonitrile.	Related Information
	1910.1050, Methylenedianiline.	Related Information

Construction Industry (29 CFR 1926)
Construction Industry (29 CFR 1926)		Related Information
1926 Subpart D - Occupational Health and Environmental Controls		Related Information
	1926.55, Gases, vapors, fumes, dusts, and mists.	Related Information
	1926.60, Methylenedianiline.	Related Information
	1926.62, Lead.	Related Information
1926 Subpart Z - Toxic and Hazardous Substances
	1926.1101, Asbestos.	Related Information
	1926.1127, Cadmium.	Related Information

State Plan Standards

There are 29 OSHA-approved State Plans operating state-wide occupational safety and health programs. State Plans are required to have standards and enforcement programs that are at least as effective as OSHA's and may have different or more stringent requirements.

Additional Letters of Interpretation

Note: The letters in this list provide additional information that is not necessarily connected to a specific OSHA standard highlighted on this Safety and Health Topics page.

OSHA standards do not include surface contamination criteria or quantifications for skin absorption (June 21, 1985).

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

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Standards

40 CFR 761.125, Requirements for PCB spill cleanup. Sections (c)(3) and (c)(4) contain information pertinent to surface contamination.

National Consensus Standards

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

American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) Standards

E1216, Standard Practice for Sampling for Surface Particulate Contamination by Tape Lift. American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM). Provides a procedure for sampling surfaces with pressure sensitive tape to determine the presence of particulate contamination, 5 µm and larger.