1910.141(d): Washing Facilities
Employers must provide sanitary lavatories in all workplaces with hot and cold or tepid running water, hand soap and individual towels or air blowers, except for mobile crews or unattended locations with transportation readily available to nearby washing facilities. When another standard requires showers, employers must provide one for each 10 employees of each sex showering on the same shift, with soap, hot and cold water, and individual clean towels.
Key takeaways
- 1910.141(d) is part of OSHA's general industry standards (29 CFR Part 1910, Subpart J).
- OSHA cited it 158 times in the last 3 years, in 137 inspections, with $175,086 in current penalties.
- Most citations: PR (22), TN (14), MI (12).
- Related part: 1910.141(d)(2) Lavatories (130 citations).
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In this article
What this rule covers
29 CFR 1910.141(d) ("Washing facilities") is one requirement inside 1910.141 Sanitation, an OSHA general industry standard (Part 1910, Subpart J). It includes 12 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
(d) Washing facilities — 158 citations
(1) General. Washing facilities shall be maintained in a sanitary condition. Open (d)(1) 26 citations
(2) Lavatories. Open (d)(2) 130 citations
(i) Lavatories shall be made available in all places of employment. The requirements of this subdivision do not apply to mobile crews or to normally unattended work locations if employees working at these locations have transportation readily available to nearby washing facilities which meet the other requirements of this paragraph. Open (d)(2)(i) 17 citations
(ii) Each lavatory shall be provided with hot and cold running water, or tepid running water. Open (d)(2)(ii) 71 citations
(iii) Hand soap or similar cleansing agents shall be provided. Open (d)(2)(iii) 23 citations
(iv) Individual hand towels or sections thereof, of cloth or paper, air blowers or clean individual sections of continuous cloth toweling, convenient to the lavatories, shall be provided. Open (d)(2)(iv) 17 citations
(3) Showers. 2 citations
(i) Whenever showers are required by a particular standard, the showers shall be provided in accordance with paragraphs (d)(3) (ii) through (v) of this section.
(ii) One shower shall be provided for each 10 employees of each sex, or numerical fraction thereof, who are required to shower during the same shift. 2 citations
(iii) Body soap or other appropriate cleansing agents convenient to the showers shall be provided as specified in paragraph (d)(2)(iii) of this section.
(iv) Showers shall be provided with hot and cold water feeding a common discharge line.
(v) Employees who use showers shall be provided with individual clean towels.
Source: eCFR, text current as of 2026-10-15. Read all of 1910.141.
Export the list: 137 inspections cited 1910.141(d) in the last 3 years, with employer, location, penalty and date.
Purple Belt, $59/moWhere and how often it was cited
| Year | Citations |
|---|---|
| 2023 | 11 |
| 2024 | 58 |
| 2025 | 52 |
| 2026 | 37 |
Top states: PR (22), TN (14), MI (12), OR (12), NY (11)
Largest penalties
| Employer | Location | Penalty for this rule |
|---|---|---|
| UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE | NEW CASTLE, DE | $38,022 |
| DOLGENCORP LLC/DOLLAR GENERAL CORPORATION | DUBLIN, PA | $16,550 |
| VTCU, CORP. | POCATELLO, ID | $14,188 |
| DOLLAR TREE | WICHITA, KS | $8,929 |
| SMYRNA READY MIX CONCRETE, LLC | PUNTA GORDA, FL | $8,036 |
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A 5-minute crew talk on 1910.141(d), plus alerts when this rule changes. Free.
OSHA interpretation letters
None exist. OSHA has not published a letter of interpretation for 1910.141(d).
Related parts of this rule
- 1910.141(d)(2) Lavatories 130 citations
- 1910.141(d)(2)(ii) 71 citations
- 1910.141(d)(1) General 26 citations
- 1910.141(d)(2)(iii) 23 citations
- 1910.141(d)(2)(iv) 17 citations
- 1910.141(d)(2)(i) 17 citations
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Frequently asked questions
Must lavatories have hot water?
Each lavatory must have hot and cold running water, or tepid running water.
How many showers are required when showers are needed?
One shower for each 10 employees of each sex, or numerical fraction thereof, who must shower during the same shift.
Are mobile crews exempt?
They are exempt if they have transportation readily available to nearby washing facilities that meet the rule.
About this page
Sources
- 29 CFR 1910.141 (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 2026-11-06
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.