Maryland State Requirements

Maryland State Plan: Ensuring Workplace Safety and Health through MOSH

Maryland has a state-operated occupational safety and health plan known as the Maryland Occupational Safety and Health (MOSH) program. MOSH operates as part of the Maryland Division of Labor and Industry, which is responsible for overseeing labor-related matters in the state. The MOSH program is designed to enforce safety and health standards in both public and private sector workplaces within Maryland. It adopts federal OSHA standards and has the authority to develop and enforce its own standards if they are more stringent than the federal requirements. MOSH conducts inspections, investigations, and provides education and training to promote safe and healthy working conditions for Maryland workers.

Coverage

The Maryland State Plan is applicable to all privately-owned workplaces within the state, except for:

• Jobs related to the maritime industry, such as shipyard employment, marine terminals, and longshoring.
• Employment opportunities at military bases.
• Workers hired under contracts and those working in facilities operated by contractors involved in United States Postal Service mail operations.
• The entirety of working conditions for cabin crew members on operating aircraft.
• Any danger, sector, location, operation, or facility where the State Plan is unable to effectively enforce regulations due to reasons unrelated to the plan's required performance or structure.

A concise overview of the Maryland State Plan is provided within the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) at 29 CFR 1952.9.

State Plan Standards

MOSH has embraced all federal OSHA standards that are relevant to the operations of public and private sector employers and are incorporated by reference. Moreover, MOSH has implemented the following distinct standards:

General Industry

• Prohibition on Smoking in an Indoor Place of Employment
• Standard for Confined Spaces
• Standard for Personnel Platforms Suspended from Cranes, Derricks and Hoists
• Tree Care and Removal
• Occupational Exposure to Formaldehyde

Construction

• Fall Protection in Steel Erection
• Crane Safety
• Lead in Construction
• Excavations, Requirement for Protective Systems