# background data to environmental (workplace) monitoring or measuring, such as laboratory reports and worksheets — How long federal regulations require records to be kept: retention periods, what starts the clock, and who they bind

For background data to environmental (workplace) monitoring or measuring, such as laboratory reports and worksheets, regulation is 29 CFR 1910.1020; regulator / programme is OSHA; retention period is one (1) year; who it binds is each employer; exceptions and notes is only if the sampling results, the collection methodology (sampling plan), a description of the analytical and mathematical methods used, and a summary of other relevant background data are retained for at least thirty (30) years, recorded from its source on 2026-08-11.

- **Regulation:** 29 CFR 1910.1020 _(verified: appears in the quote below)_
- **Regulator / programme:** OSHA _(our reading, not quoted from the source)_
- **Record type:** background data to environmental (workplace) monitoring or measuring, such as laboratory reports and worksheets _(verified: appears in the quote below)_
- **Retention period:** one (1) year _(verified: appears in the quote below)_
- **Who it binds:** each employer
- **Exceptions and notes:** only if the sampling results, the collection methodology (sampling plan), a description of the analytical and mathematical methods used, and a summary of other relevant background data are retained for at least thirty (30) years _(verified: appears in the quote below)_

## What the source says

> Background data to environmental (workplace) monitoring or measuring, such as laboratory reports and worksheets, need only be retained for one (1) year as long as the sampling results, the collection methodology (sampling plan), a description of the analytical and mathematical methods used, and a summary of other background data relevant to interpretation of the results obtained, are retained for at least thirty (30) years

## Source

- https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-29/subtitle-B/chapter-XVII/part-1910/subpart-Z/section-1910.1020

Last verified: 2026-08-11. Review by: 2027-08-11.
Part of [How long federal regulations require records to be kept: retention periods, what starts the clock, and who they bind](https://referencesource.org/record-retention-periods-federal/).