1910.331(c)(1): Generation, transmission, and distribution installations
Key takeaways
- 1910.331(c)(1) is part of OSHA's general industry standards (29 CFR Part 1910, Subpart S).
- Related part: 1910.331(c) Excluded work by qualified persons.
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What this rule covers
29 CFR 1910.331(c)(1) ("Generation, transmission, and distribution installations") is one requirement inside 1910.331 Scope, an OSHA general industry standard (Part 1910, Subpart S). 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
(1) Generation, transmission, and distribution installations. Installations for the generation, control, transformation, transmission, and distribution of electric energy (including communication and metering) located in buildings used for such purposes or located outdoors.
Work on or directly associated with installations of utilization equipment used for purposes other than generating, transmitting, or distributing electric energy (such as installations which are in office buildings, warehouses, garages, machine shops, or recreational buildings, or other utilization installations which are not an integral part of a generating installation, substation, or control center) is covered under paragraph (a)(1) of this section.
For work on or directly associated with utilization installations, an employer who complies with the work practices of § 1910.269 (electric power generation, transmission, and distribution) will be deemed to be in compliance with §§ 1910.333(c) and 1910.335. However, the requirements of §§ 1910.332, 1910.333(a), 1910.333(b), and 1910.334 apply to all work on or directly associated with utilization installations, regardless of whether the work is performed by qualified or unqualified persons.
Work on or directly associated with generation, transmission, or distribution installations includes:
(1) Work performed directly on such installations, such as repairing overhead or underground distribution lines or repairing a feed-water pump for the boiler in a generating plant.
(2) Work directly associated with such installations, such as line-clearance tree trimming and replacing utility poles, when that work is covered by § 1910.269 (see § 1910.269(a)(1)(i)(D) and (E) and the definition of “line-clearance tree trimming” in § 1910.269(x)).
(3) Work on electric utilization circuits in a generating plant provided that:
(A) Such circuits are commingled with installations of power generation equipment or circuits, and
(B) The generation equipment or circuits present greater electrical hazards than those posed by the utilization equipment or circuits (such as exposure to higher voltages or lack of overcurrent protection).
This work is covered by § 1910.269.
Source: eCFR, text current as of 2026-10-15. Read all of 1910.331.
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Sources
- 29 CFR 1910.331 (eCFR), text current as of 2026-10-15
- U.S. Department of Labor enforcement data: OSHA inspections, citations and accident records, copied nightly
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.