Here's another one of our OSHA Basics series of articles.
In this one, we're going to explain what a "vertical" standard is and what a "horizontal" standard is.
If that catches your attention or piques your curiosity, read on!
Most OSHA standards are horizontal standards. That means they apply to all employers in any industry.
Some OSHA standards, however, are vertical standards. This means they apply to just a specific industry.
Horizontal standards are the OSHA standards that apply to most workplaces.
Examples of horizontal standards include:
Vertical standards apply to specific industries or to particular operations, practices, conditions, processes, means, methods, equipment, or installations.
Examples of OSHA vertical standards include:
When OSHA has a vertical standard that applies to a particular industry (or employer in that industry), then that standard takes precedence over any horizontal standard.
If you found this "OSHA Basics" article on OSHA's vertical and horizontal standards helpful, you may also want to check out some of the following articles: