OSHA standards that apply to tree work
OSHA has no rule written for tree care, so its tree care page and 2021 inspection memo point to general industry standards. This table lists each one and what OSHA's page for it covers.
Checked against the sources at the bottom of this page on October 8, 2026. Rules, fees and pay change: the source has the last word.
This page reports what the official source says. It is not legal advice: ask the office named here. It lists the OSHA standards that OSHA's own tree care documents point to, with what each standard's OSHA page covers. All pages were read on October 8, 2026, and the descriptions are in our words.
Where the list comes from
The OSHA tree care standards page says the tree care industry must comply with all the general industry standards in 29 CFR 1910, and then highlights some of them. It says State Plans may have different or more stringent requirements. OSHA's inspection guidance memo of June 24, 2021 goes through the hazards inspectors are told to assess and names more standards. The table below joins the two lists. The last column says which document names the standard. Other background is in the guide on OSHA and tree care.
The standards
| Standard | What OSHA's page says it covers, and which OSHA document names it |
|---|---|
| OSHA page for 1904.39 | Reporting to OSHA: a death within 8 hours, and an in-patient hospitalization, an amputation or the loss of an eye within 24 hours, when caused by a work-related incident. Named in: standards page. |
| OSHA page for 1910.21 | Scope and definitions for the walking-working surfaces subpart. It applies to all general industry workplaces and covers all walking-working surfaces unless a section excludes them. The definitions include anchorage and fall hazard. Named in: standards page. |
| OSHA page for 1910.22 | General requirements for walking-working surfaces: surface conditions, load capacity, safe access and egress, and inspection, maintenance and repair. Named in: standards page and 2021 memo. |
| OSHA page for 1910.23 | Ladders: the page lists requirements for rungs, steps and cleats, and which ladders the section covers and leaves out. Named in: standards page and 2021 memo. |
| OSHA page for 1910.25 | Stairways: handrails, clearance, landings and load capacity for the stairways the section covers. Named in: standards page. |
| OSHA page for 1910.26 | Dockboards: load capacity, run-off protection, securing and handholds. Named in: standards page. |
| OSHA page for 1910.29 | Criteria for fall protection systems and falling object protection: guardrails, safety nets, covers, handrails, ladder cages and wells, ladder safety systems and grab handles. It sends personal fall protection systems to 1910.140. Named in: standards page. |
| OSHA page for 1910.30 | Training for fall hazards and equipment hazards: training by a qualified person before exposure, topics to cover, retraining, and training in a form the employee understands. Named in: standards page and 2021 memo. |
| OSHA page for 1910.67 | Vehicle-mounted work platforms, also called aerial lifts. The page defines aerial devices and lists specific requirements for boom platforms, including a daily test of lift controls, trained operators only, and a personal fall arrest or travel restraint system attached to the boom or basket. Named in: standards page and 2021 memo. |
| OSHA page for 1910.95 | Occupational noise exposure: permissible exposures by duration (Table G-16), controls and hearing protectors, and a hearing conservation program. The memo ties the program to an 8-hour time-weighted average of 85 dBA. Named in: 2021 memo. |
| OSHA page for 1910.106 | Flammable liquids: tank storage, piping, container and portable tank storage, and other settings. The memo points to the portable container paragraph and to fire control devices where flammable liquids are stored. Named in: standards page and 2021 memo. |
| OSHA page for 1910.132 | General personal protective equipment requirements: hazard assessment and equipment selection, design, defective or damaged equipment, training and payment. Named in: 2021 memo. |
| OSHA page for 1910.134 | Respiratory protection: a respirator is provided when necessary to protect health, under a written program that covers selection, medical evaluation, fit testing, use, maintenance, training and program review. Named in: standards page. |
| OSHA page for 1910.136 | Foot protection: protective footwear where there is a danger from falling or rolling objects, piercing of the sole, or an electrical hazard, built to one of the consensus standards the section lists. Named in: standards page. |
| OSHA page for 1910.138 | Hand protection: appropriate hand protection for hazards such as severe cuts, abrasions, punctures, burns and temperature extremes, chosen from an evaluation of the task and hazards. Named in: standards page. |
| OSHA page for 1910.140 | Personal fall protection systems: performance, care and use criteria, with added rules for personal fall arrest systems and positioning systems. The memo quotes the anchorage paragraph for climbing and working aloft in trees. Named in: 2021 memo. |
| OSHA page for 1910.151 | Medical services and first aid: medical advice available, trained first aid persons and supplies where no clinic or hospital is in near proximity, and eye and body flushing facilities for corrosive materials. Named in: standards page and 2021 memo. |
| OSHA page for 1910.157 | Portable fire extinguishers: placement, use, maintenance and testing of extinguishers provided for employees. Named in: 2021 memo. |
| OSHA page for 1910.180 | Crawler, locomotive and truck cranes. The memo says the standard prohibits hoisting a person on the load or hook. Named in: 2021 memo. |
| OSHA page for 1910.242 and 1910.243 (Subpart P) | Hand and portable powered tools. The memo says the employer is responsible for the safe condition of tools, and lists chain saw provisions such as a constant pressure throttle control and removal of cracked saws. Named in: 2021 memo. |
| OSHA page for 1910.212 (Subpart O) | Machine guarding: guarding methods to protect the operator and others from hazards such as the point of operation, nip points, rotating parts and flying chips. The memo names Subpart O and names brush chippers, stump cutters and chain saws as machinery to assess. Named in: 2021 memo. |
| OSHA page for 1910.266 | Logging operations: safety practices for all types of logging, including harvesting of timber, poles and pilings. The standards page lists logging notices and a logging directive. The memo says the line clearance standard requires gasoline chain saw operations to meet 1910.266(e), which includes drop starting and kickback paragraphs. Named in: standards page and 2021 memo. |
| OSHA page for 1910.268 | Telecommunications work. The memo says some tree trimming is covered here. The page says pole climbers are not worn when working in trees and that specifically designed tree climbers are used for tree climbing. Named in: standards page and 2021 memo. |
| OSHA page for 1910.269 | Electric power generation, transmission and distribution. Paragraph (a)(1)(i)(E) covers line-clearance tree trimming done to clear space around power lines, for an organization that operates or controls those lines, with different paragraphs applying to qualified employees and to trimmers who are not qualified employees. Named in: standards page and 2021 memo. |
| OSHA page for 1910.332 | Electrical training for employees who face a risk of electric shock not reduced to a safe level, including training for qualified persons. Named in: standards page. |
| OSHA page for 1910.334 | Use of electrical equipment: portable cord- and plug-connected equipment and extension cords, including visual inspection before use on each shift. Named in: standards page. |
| OSHA page for 1910.1030 | Bloodborne pathogens: applies to all occupational exposure to blood or other potentially infectious materials, with exposure control, vaccination, hazard communication and recordkeeping. Named in: standards page. |
What is not on the list
The memo says citations may also come under the General Duty Clause, Section 5(a)(1) of the OSH Act, where no standard fits. It lists protective structures on machines and traffic safety as places where that may apply. Those are not standards, so they have no row. The memo also says that most OSHA general industry standards do not contain requirements for traffic control practices.
The OSHA standards page separately lists voluntary national consensus standards, among them ANSI Z133.1, A300, B175.1, Z87.1 and Z89.1, and says they are not OSHA regulations and that compliance with them does not ensure compliance with OSHA policy. The comparison with other countries is in safety rules by country, and the equipment side is in protective equipment standards by country.
Sources
- OSHA, tree care standards page, read October 8, 2026
- OSHA, inspection guidance for tree care and tree removal operations, June 24, 2021, read October 8, 2026
- OSHA, 29 CFR 1910.151 medical services and first aid, read October 8, 2026
- OSHA, 29 CFR 1910.67 vehicle-mounted work platforms, read October 8, 2026
- OSHA, 29 CFR 1910.269 electric power generation, transmission and distribution, read October 8, 2026
- OSHA, 29 CFR 1904.39 reporting fatalities and serious injuries, read October 8, 2026