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Annual bakery-oven inspections by a qualified burner company

Summary A burner company asked whether its personnel could conduct required annual inspections of bakery ovens at customer sites. OSHA said qualified representatives of an oven manufacturer who know the safety issues and can verify safe operation may conduct those inspections, and accepted the company’s personnel for the described work. The guidance matters to bakeries and oven service providers.
Document
Federal opinion letter
Agency
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
Document number
1988-10-03
Date issued
October 3, 1988
Status
Active
Status last verified October 10, 2026
Topics
Workplace Safety OSHA 1910 Bakery Equipment Inspections
Source
View the official document

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About this page: The full text below is the official document from Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Ezel adds the plain-English summary and tracks the document's status. The official source linked on this page is authoritative for any reliance.

October 3, 1988

Edward S. Flynn, President
Flynn Burner Corporation
[Recipient address omitted]
Dear Mr. Flynn:

This is in response to your letter of August 16, 1988, concerning the acceptability of annual inspections by Flynn Burner Corporation personnel relative to the requirements of 29 CFR 1910.263(l)(9)(ii).

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standard at 29 CFR 1910.263(l)(9)(ii) specifies that annual inspections of bakery ovens shall be conducted by representatives of the oven manufacturers. Since the impact of a literal interpretation could be profound, OSHA feels that such inspections may be accomplished by qualified representatives of an oven manufacturer who are knowledgeable of the various safety considerations and who are capable of verifying the safe operational characteristics of the equipment.

Flynn Burner Corporation personnel are acceptable to OSHA for the accomplishment of the annual inspections specified at 29 CFR 1910.263(l)(9)(ii), at customer facilities.

If we may be of further assistance, please contact us.

Sincerely,
Thomas J. Shepich, Director
Directorate of Compliance Programs

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