1910.1027(j): Cadmium Hygiene Areas and Practices
For employees exposed to airborne cadmium above the PEL, employers must provide clean change rooms with separate storage for street and work clothes, handwashing facilities, showers and lunchrooms meeting 1910.141. Those employees must shower at the end of the shift and wash hands and face before eating, drinking, smoking, chewing or applying cosmetics. Lunchroom exposure must stay below 2.5 µg/m3, and work clothing must be cleaned of surface cadmium before entering.
Key takeaways
- 1910.1027(j) is part of OSHA's general industry standards (29 CFR Part 1910).
- OSHA cited it 5 times in the last 3 years, in 4 inspections, with $26,768 in current penalties.
- 1 death is linked to inspections that cited this rule.
- Related part: 1910.1027(j)(1) General (2 citations).
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In this article
What this rule covers
29 CFR 1910.1027(j) ("Hygiene areas and practices") is one requirement inside 1910.1027 Cadmium, an OSHA general industry standard (Part 1910). It includes 8 sub-paragraphs. The official text below is copied word for word from the Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (eCFR). The numbers, injury cases and training on this page show how OSHA enforces it on real job sites.
Official text
(j) Hygiene areas and practices — 5 citations
(1) General. For employees whose airborne exposure to cadmium is above the PEL, the employer shall provide clean change rooms, handwashing facilities, showers, and lunchroom facilities that comply with 29 CFR 1910.141. Open (j)(1) 2 citations
(2) Change rooms. The employer shall assure that change rooms are equipped with separate storage facilities for street clothes and for protective clothing and equipment, which are designed to prevent dispersion of cadmium and contamination of the employee's street clothes.
(3) Showers and handwashing facilities. 3 citations
(i) The employer shall assure that employees who are exposed to cadmium above the PEL shower during the end of the work shift. 2 citations
(ii) The employer shall assure that employees whose airborne exposure to cadmium is above the PEL wash their hands and faces prior to eating, drinking, smoking, chewing tobacco or gum, or applying cosmetics. 1 citations
(4) Lunchroom facilities.
(i) The employer shall assure that the lunchroom facilities are readily accessible to employees, that tables for eating are maintained free of cadmium, and that no employee in a lunchroom facility is exposed at any time to cadmium at or above a concentration of 2.5 µg/m3.
(ii) The employer shall assure that employees do not enter lunchroom facilities with protective work clothing or equipment unless surface cadmium has been removed from the clothing and equipment by HEPA vacuuming or some other method that removes cadmium dust without dispersing it.
Source: eCFR, text current as of 2026-10-15. Read all of 1910.1027.
Export the list: 4 inspections cited 1910.1027(j) in the last 3 years, with employer, location, penalty and date.
Purple Belt, $59/moInjuries linked to this rule
1 death is linked to inspections where OSHA cited 1910.1027(j).
At 10:00 a.m. on February 23, 2024, an employee working as a machine operator for an aircraft parts manufacturer was working in the fabrication department. The employee inhaled plastic dust which led to the employee developing pneumonia. At 9:00 a.m. on May 2, 2024, the…
Where and how often it was cited
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OSHA interpretation letters
None exist. OSHA has not published a letter of interpretation for 1910.1027(j).
Related parts of this rule
- 1910.1027(j)(1) General 2 citations
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Frequently asked questions
When must workers shower?
Employees exposed to cadmium above the PEL must shower during the end of the work shift.
What is the lunchroom cadmium limit?
No employee in a lunchroom may be exposed at any time to cadmium at or above 2.5 µg/m3.
Can I wear work clothes into the lunchroom?
Only if surface cadmium has been removed by HEPA vacuuming or another method that removes dust without dispersing it.
About this page
Sources
- 29 CFR 1910.1027 (eCFR), text current as of 2026-10-15
- U.S. Department of Labor enforcement data: OSHA inspections, citations and accident records, copied nightly; data as of 2026-11-05
3-year window. Federal OSHA only; state-plan rules are not counted. Plain-language text is a summary, not legal advice; the official text controls. Black Belt Safety is not part of OSHA or the Department of Labor.