Section 5(a)(1) of the OSH Act, often referred to as the General Duty Clause, requires employers to "furnish to each of his employees employment and a place of employment which are free from recognized hazards that are causing or are likely to cause death or serious physical harm to his employees". Section 5(a)(2) requires employers to "comply with occupational safety and health standards promulgated under this Act".

Note: Twenty-six states have OSHA-approved State Plans and have adopted their own standards and enforcement policies. For the most part, these States adopt standards that are identical to Federal OSHA. However, some States have adopted different standards applicable to this topic or may have different enforcement policies.

General Industry (29 CFR 1910)

Construction Industry (29 CFR 1926)

• Air Contaminants (1989)
• VII. Feasibility and Regulatory Analyses. Because the scope of this rulemaking is restricted exclusively to general industry, OSHA has determined that it is most appropriate at this time to defer regulation of asphalt fumes until the agency has had sufficient time to address the complex health issues associated with this substance and to analyze the impact on the construction industry of establishing a permissible exposure limit (PEL) for this substance.
• Search all available preambles to final rules.

• Natural or mined asphalts do not fall within the scope of the Coal Tar Pitch Volatiles Standard. (1983, May 26).
• Petroleum asphalt removed from coverage under the Coal Tar Pitch Volatiles Standard. (1983, April 8).
• Search all available standard interpretations.