Harmful Physical Agent or Toxic Substance

Any chemical substance, biological agent (bacteria, virus, or fungus), or physical stress (noise, heat, cold, vibration, repetitive motion, ionizing and non-ionizing radiation, hypo- or hyperbaric pressure) that:

  1. Is regulated by any state or federal law or rule due to a hazard to health
  2. Is listed in the latest printed edition of the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Registry of Toxic Effects of Chemical Substances (RTECS)
  3. Has yielded positive evidence of an acute or chronic health hazard in human, animal, or other biological testing conducted by, or known to, the employer
  4. Is described by a Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) available to the employer that indicates that the material may pose a hazard to human health
Also see ACUTE HEALTH EFFECT and CHRONIC HEALTH EFFECT.

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