For the millions of Americans who spend the majority of their waking hours at work, workplace drinking water quality is an important — and often overlooked — component of total PFAS exposure. Employers who provide drinking water to employees have both regulatory obligations and broader responsibilities for worker health that are evolving rapidly as PFAS contamination awareness grows. Understanding the employer-employee relationship around workplace PFAS is important for both workers seeking protection and employers managing compliance.
The Regulatory Framework for Workplace Drinking Water
Workplace drinking water is regulated under a complex, sometimes overlapping framework:
OSHA and the General Duty Clause: OSHA requires employers to provide potable water that meets applicable EPA Safe Drinking Water Act standards. This means that if a workplace’s municipal water supply or private well exceeds EPA PFAS maximum contaminant levels, the employer may have an obligation to provide alternative water or treatment — even if OSHA has not issued specific PFAS standards.
EPA Safe Drinking Water Act: Public water systems serving workplaces must meet EPA MCLs, including the 2024 PFAS regulations. However, private wells serving workplaces are not covered by SDWA and are not subject to federal MCLs — making employer responsibility for private well water particularly important.
State occupational health regulations: Several states have enacted specific workplace health requirements that go beyond federal OSHA standards, including in some cases workplace water quality provisions.
High-Risk Workplace Categories
Certain workplace types present elevated PFAS water exposure risk:
Industrial facilities using or producing PFAS: Workers who handle PFAS in manufacturing, application, or processing contexts face both inhalation/dermal occupational exposure and potential contamination of facility water systems. OSHA’s General Duty Clause and state occupational health requirements are most clearly triggered in these settings.
Facilities near contaminated groundwater: Workplaces that draw from private wells in PFAS-contaminated areas — common in rural industrial zones, agricultural areas near military bases, and legacy manufacturing communities — may provide employees with contaminated drinking water without knowing it.
Fire stations: Firefighters who have used AFFF at their stations may have contaminated on-site water wells from decades of foam testing and use. In-station drinking water testing is increasingly being conducted by municipal fire departments in PFAS-aware jurisdictions.
Military installations: Both military personnel and civilian contractors at bases where AFFF was heavily used face documented PFAS exposure from drinking water and other pathways.
Employee Rights and Advocacy
Workers who are concerned about PFAS in workplace drinking water have several avenues for action:
- Right to know: Employees can request information about workplace water quality from employers. In facilities served by public water systems, water quality reports are publicly available. For private wells, employees can request test results.
- OSHA complaint: If an employer refuses to address documented PFAS contamination in workplace drinking water, employees can file complaints with OSHA’s regional offices. OSHA can inspect and require corrective action under the General Duty Clause.
- Union representation: Unionized workers can bring workplace water quality concerns through collective bargaining channels; health and safety committees provide forums for raising PFAS concerns.
- Occupational health physician consultation: Workers with documented high PFAS exposure can request PFAS serum testing through their primary care or occupational health physician and should document the occupational exposure context.
Employer Best Practices
Employers who proactively address workplace PFAS water quality demonstrate commitment to worker health and reduce regulatory and liability risk. Best practices include:
- Annual testing of all drinking water sources for PFAS using certified laboratory methods
- Installing certified filtration at employee drinking water access points if PFAS are detected
- Providing transparent communication of test results to employees
- Including workplace water quality in occupational health programs for workers with known PFAS exposures
The cost of comprehensive workplace water testing and point-of-use filtration is modest compared to the legal and reputational costs of documented failure to protect workers from known contamination.