OSHA coverage of wholly volunteer ambulance organizations

September 6, 1991
Mr. Daniel Evans
Safety Officer
Flatlands Volunteer Ambulance
and First Aids Corps, Inc.
[Recipient address omitted]

Dear Mr. Evans,

This is in response to our letter of August 21, which requested confirmation of a telephone conversation you had with a member of my staff. You were correctly informed that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) jurisdiction, as mandated by the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, extends only to employers and the protection of employees. Wholly volunteer organizations such as yours, in which members receive no monetary or other compensation for their services, do not fall under OSHA's purview.

While OSHA is not in a position to require that your members be offered the hepatitis B vaccine free of charge, we strongly recommend that your organization do so, in accordance with sound health policy. Your members are clearly exposed to blood and other potentially infectious material on a routine basis and under emergency conditions and deserve the protection conferred by the vaccine.

We hope this information is responsive to your concerns.
Sincerely,
Patricia K. Clark, Director
Directorate of Compliance Programs

[The requester’s August 21 letter reproduced on the OSHA page is omitted here.]