29 CFR 1910 · General Industry · Subpart H

1910.120(q)(4): Skilled support personnel

By Black Belt Safety Editorial Team Official text as of October 15, 2026 3 min read

Key takeaways

  • 1910.120(q)(4) is part of OSHA's general industry standards (29 CFR Part 1910, Subpart H).
  • Related part: 1910.120(q) Emergency response to hazardous substance releases (405 citations).
  • Free 5-minute toolbox talk for your crew below.
In this article
  1. What this rule covers
  2. Official text
  3. Free toolbox talk
  4. OSHA interpretation letters
  5. Related parts of this rule
  6. Get your crew competent
  7. About this page

What this rule covers

29 CFR 1910.120(q)(4) ("Skilled support personnel") is one requirement inside 1910.120 Hazardous waste operations and emergency response, an OSHA general industry standard (Part 1910, Subpart H). 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

(4) Skilled support personnel. Personnel, not necessarily an employer's own employees, who are skilled in the operation of certain equipment, such as mechanized earth moving or digging equipment or crane and hoisting equipment, and who are needed temporarily to perform immediate emergency support work that cannot reasonably be performed in a timely fashion by an employer's own employees, and who will be or may be exposed to the hazards at an emergency response scene, are not required to meet the training required in this paragraph for the employer's regular employees. However, these personnel shall be given an initial briefing at the site prior to their participation in any emergency response. The initial briefing shall include instruction in the wearing of appropriate personal protective equipment, what chemical hazards are involved, and what duties are to be performed. All other appropriate safety and health precautions provided to the employer's own employees shall be used to assure the safety and health of these personnel.

Source: eCFR, text current as of 2026-10-15. Read all of 1910.120.

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OSHA interpretation letters

Related parts of this rule

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About this page

Sources

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.

Written and reviewed by

Black Belt Safety Editorial Team

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OSHA 30 · CPR · USACE CQM

Written and reviewed by the Black Belt Safety team. Every post is checked against the OSHA standard or agency source it cites.

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