UNITED STATES
DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

• Legionellosis
• Background
• Hazard Recognition
• Medical Information
• Standards
• Control and Prevention
• Outbreak Response
• Additional Resources

Standards

There currently is no specific OSHA standard for Legionellosis; however, Section 5(a)(1) of the Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Act of 1970, 29 USC 654(a)(1), (referred to as the "General Duty Clause") requires employers to furnish to each worker "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 its workers. OSHA may enforce the General Duty Clause where a workplace has a recognized, serious hazard for which there is no specific OSHA standard (e.g., occupational exposure to Legionella in water systems). Employers should know the hazards and risks with having water sources in the workplace and maintain all systems to prevent Legionella growth.

Some OSHA standards and regulations that may apply to a workplace with the potential for Legionella contamination and growth include, but are not limited to, the Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) (29 CFR 1910.132) and Respiratory Protection (29 CFR 1910.134) standards. In addition, chemicals used for cleaning and water system disinfection may be considered hazardous, requiring additional precautions under the Hazard Communication standard (29 CFR 1910.1200).

Section 11(c) of the OSH Act, 29 USC 660(c), prohibits employers from retaliating against workers for raising concerns about safety and health conditions. OSHA encourages workers who suffer such discrimination to submit a complaint to OSHA. Workers have 30 days to file their complaints.

Depending on the specific work task, setting, and exposure to other biological or chemical agents, examples of other OSHA requirements that may apply include:

Specific Directives of Interest

• Inspection Procedures for the Respiratory Protection Standard. CPL 02-00-158, (June 26, 2014). Establishes agency interpretations and enforcement policies, and provides instructions to ensure uniform enforcement of the Respiratory Protection standard (29 CFR 1910.134).
• Enforcement Guidance for Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) in General Industry. CPL 02-01-050, (February 10, 2011). Establishes OSHA's general enforcement and guidance policy for its standards addressing PPE. It instructs OSHA enforcement personnel on both the agency's interpretations of those standards, and the procedures for enforcing them.
• Rules of Agency Practice and Procedure Concerning OSHA Access to Employee Medical Records. CPL 02-02-072, (August 22, 2007). Provides guidance to OSHA personnel concerning the rules of agency practices and procedures set forth in 29 CFR 1913.10 when accessing personally identifiable worker medical records. Guidance also covers authorization by the Assistant Secretary to conduct limited review of specific worker medical information when OSHA standards require such information, and there is a need to gain access to that information to determine compliance.
• Recordkeeping Policies and Procedures Manual. CPL 02-00-135, (December 30, 2004). Transmits enforcement information on OSHA's recordkeeping regulations.
• Inspection Procedures for the Hazard Communication Standard. CPL 02-02-079, (July 9, 2015). Establishes policies and provides clarifications to ensure Hazard Communication Standard uniform enforcement.

State Standards

There are twenty-eight 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 guidance is available on the Control and Prevention and Additional Resources pages.