Federal Labor Guidance
Free plain-English summaries of opinion letters, administrative policies, and interpretive notices from the U.S. Department of Labor, with the current status and the official source on every page.
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Homelessness definition for veteran employment services
ETA and Veterans’ Employment and Training clarified that homelessness can include people fleeing domestic violence or other dangerous conditions when determining a significant barrier to employment…
Inspection guidance for poultry processing facilities
OSHA directed field staff inspecting poultry slaughter and processing facilities to cover hazards including ergonomics, equipment guarding, chemicals, noise, sanitation and injury records. The memo…
Interim enforcement policy for the process-safety retail exemption
OSHA issued interim enforcement discretion for facilities it believed had become subject to process-safety requirements after a revised retail-exemption interpretation. OSHA now states on this page…
Employer-owned stop-loss policies and ERISA plan assets
Plan sponsors asked whether stop-loss policies they proposed to buy for their self-insured health plans would be plan assets under ERISA. EBSA said the policies would not be plan assets on the…
Law-enforcement disability program outside ERISA welfare-plan status
A law-enforcement association asked whether its long-term disability program was an ERISA welfare plan. Assuming the requester's representation that no employer established or maintained it, EBSA…
Chromic-acid medical examinations in electroplating
An employer asked whether the hexavalent-chromium medical-surveillance rule replaces a separate electroplating rule for periodic examinations after chromic-acid exposure. OSHA said no: the plating…
Asbestos warning signs and ANSI sign designs
A requester asked about the 2016 deadline for revised asbestos warning signs and whether ANSI sign formats could replace the asbestos rule’s wording. OSHA said affected signs had to be updated by…
YouthBuild construction training work sites and projects
ETA told YouthBuild grantees which construction work sites and activities count for hands-on training and clarified when participants may be recorded as successful exits. The guidance applies to…
Asbestos dust sampling as objective exposure data
A consultant asked whether a protocol using building air and dust samples could serve as objective data to show asbestos worker exposure below OSHA limits. OSHA said no and explained that it does…
Arc-rated face shields for covered overhead lines
A utility asked whether a worker facing an estimated 7.7 calories per square centimeter of incident heat needed an arc-rated face shield while other phases were insulated. OSHA said the scenario…
Barrier garments under the bloodborne-pathogens rule
A textile company asked whether active-barrier scrubs and coats count as engineering controls for bloodborne-pathogen exposure. OSHA said no: garments worn by a worker are personal protective…
One safety data sheet for chemicals in glass and metal containers
A chemical company asked whether one safety data sheet could list grounding and bonding precautions even though they do not apply to the product in glass bottles. OSHA said yes, all required…
Access to state unemployment insurance benefits
ETA explained how state unemployment agencies must make claims, benefits and information accessible to eligible people, including those with disabilities or limited English proficiency. The letter…
Claimant rights in unemployment overpayment procedures
ETA reminded state unemployment agencies to investigate suspected overpayments and give claimants notice and an opportunity to respond before making a determination. The letter explains written…
Procedural protections in unemployment overpayment cases
ETA reminded state unemployment agencies to protect claimants' rights when investigating and recovering possible overpayments. States must check evidence, give people a chance to respond, issue…
Transition labels for agricultural chemicals in distribution
An agricultural-chemical group asked whether products could be treated as shipped when released into distribution rather than when they leave a workplace. OSHA described limited transition…
2015 Trade Adjustment Assistance reauthorization instructions
ETA gave state agencies operating instructions for implementing the 2015 Trade Adjustment Assistance reauthorization for affected workers. The attachments contain detailed program instructions, a…
Electrical guarding threshold for direct-current equipment
A requester asked whether energized direct-current equipment below 60 volts could remain unguarded because some consensus standards use that limit. OSHA said its guarding rule applies at 50 volts…
Direct-current electrical guarding and de minimis violations
A requester asked whether OSHA’s 50-volt guarding requirement applies to direct-current parts and whether following a 60-volt consensus threshold would be a minor deviation. OSHA said the rule…
Corrected WIOA Program Year 2015 allotment guidance
ETA corrected the Executive Level II salary cap to $183,300 and four items in an attachment to TEGL 29-14, Change 1. The rest of the earlier allotment guidance remained in place at the time. Later…
Hazard labels on chemical stock packaged before 2015 deadlines
A chemical maker asked OSHA to treat labels as compliant for the life of stock packaged before the June 2015 deadline. OSHA declined an indefinite accommodation. It permitted limited shipments with…
Red-bordered pictograms on shipped chemical containers
A hand-cleaner maker asked to keep single-color pictograms on shipped containers because changing its printing line would be costly. OSHA said the shipped-container pictogram must have a black…
Hepatitis B antibody testing after worker vaccination
A dentist asked whether employees vaccinated against hepatitis B before antibody-testing guidance began must now receive titers or revaccination. OSHA said the bloodborne-pathogen standard did not…
WIOA one-stop delivery system vision
ETA laid out its vision for American Job Centers and other one-stop partners under WIOA, including integrated services for job seekers and employers. The letter directs states and local areas to…
Respirators for wet abrasive blasting
An equipment maker asked whether wet abrasive-blast operators must always wear a Type CE respirator even if toxic dust stays below exposure limits. OSHA said the blasting-respirator requirement…
Decimal commas on chemical safety data sheets
A company asked whether a supplier may show a decimal with a comma on a U.S. safety data sheet. OSHA said the notation is technically incorrect in the United States but does not defeat the…
Quarterly progress reports for unemployment insurance grants
ETA introduced a uniform quarterly progress report for state unemployment insurance Supplemental Budget Request grants. It required one report per covered project, due within 45 days after each…
Written lockout procedures for electrical work
An employer asked several questions about written lockout procedures for building wiring work. OSHA said a copy of the electrical-work provision can serve as the procedure when that provision…
Preprinted hazard pictograms and relabeling in the 2015 transition
A chemical maker asked about blank red pictogram frames, adding new labels over old ones and which 2015 compliance deadline applied. OSHA rejected words placed inside unused pictogram frames,…
High-dollar unemployment overpayment reporting
ETA revised how states reported high-dollar unemployment insurance overpayments on the ETA 227 form. The change set a $25,000 cumulative overpayment threshold for a claim and explained how to split…
Older material safety sheets and imported chemicals
An employer asked whether it may keep older material safety data sheets for pre-2015 chemicals and how to handle missing updated sheets from foreign suppliers. OSHA said compliant older sheets may…
2015 workforce and labor market information grants
ETA replaced TEGL 39-14 with revised grant guidance for state workforce and labor market information work in Program Year 2015. It clarified that grantees using different data collection methods had…
Using an electrical safety code table to select arc-rated clothing
A utility asked whether it could use a 2012 National Electrical Safety Code table to select arc-rated protection. OSHA said many table values are acceptable incident-energy estimates because they…
Arc-rated clothing estimates under the electric power standard
An electric utility asked whether it could use a 2012 electrical safety code table to choose protective clothing for electric arc hazards. OSHA said many of the table’s estimates were acceptable…
Flammable-aerosol and gas-under-pressure pictograms
An aerosol maker asked whether a Category 1 flammable aerosol always needs both the flame and gas-cylinder pictograms. OSHA said the flame pictogram is required, and the gas-cylinder pictogram is…
Label pictograms for flammable aerosols under hazard communication
An aerosol maker asked whether a flammable aerosol label needs the gas-cylinder pictogram as well as the flame. OSHA said the flame is required, while the cylinder is also required if the product…
Flexible cords and cables used as building wiring
A requester asked how OSHA distinguishes flexible cords and cables and whether they may serve as permanent wiring. OSHA said the rule covers flexible cords and cables under its stated conditions and…
WIOA adult and dislocated worker service transition
ETA explained how states should deliver WIOA Adult and Dislocated Worker services and Wagner-Peyser employment services beginning July 1, 2015. It covered career and training services, use of funds,…
National Dislocated Worker Grant operating guidance
ETA set the policies and priorities for National Dislocated Worker Grants under WIOA, including layoff and disaster grants. Two attachments provide references and additional operating instructions.…
WIA waivers during the transition to WIOA
ETA explained how previously approved WIA waivers applied during Program Year 2015 as WIOA took effect and how states could seek waivers under WIOA. Two attachments provide references and a waiver…
Lockout of mobile construction equipment during maintenance
A company asked whether locking electrical power, blocking tires and lowering loader arms sufficiently controls hazards during maintenance. OSHA said that arrangement would likely meet the…
Guarding low cable trays in power plants
A power-plant safety manager asked about cable trays below eight feet that unqualified workers can reach. OSHA said the applicable standard depends on whether the wiring is integral to power…
Identifying grounded conductors on overhead cranes
A crane-system maker asked whether every grounded conductor cover must be green. OSHA said it does not require that color. Grounded and grounding conductors must, however, be identifiable and…
Complex mixtures on chemical safety data sheets
An environmental-agency requester asked what “complex mixture” means under OSHA’s hazard-communication rule. OSHA said a mixture may be complex when it has multiple ingredients whose amounts vary. A…
WIOA training provider eligibility transition
ETA explained how states should determine which training providers could use WIOA Title I-B funds and publish the eligible provider list during the transition from WIA. Two attachments provide…
Fiscal Year 2015 TAA second distribution and reserve funds
ETA gave states the second Fiscal Year 2015 distribution of Trade Adjustment Assistance training and related service funds and explained how to request reserve funds. The attachment lists amounts by…
Inspection guidance for inpatient healthcare settings
OSHA directed inspectors in hospitals and nursing and residential care facilities to examine patient-handling injuries, workplace violence, bloodborne pathogens, tuberculosis, and slips and falls.…
Program Year 2015 labor market information grants
ETA set Program Year 2015 requirements, deliverables, and allocations for state workforce and labor market information grants. Three attachments provide allocations and grant terms. Change 1…
Matching product identifiers on hazard labels and safety sheets
A product supplier asked whether product names and codes on labels must match safety data sheets. OSHA said the product identifier must match so workers can cross-reference the materials. Extra…
Fiscal year 2015 unemployment program integrity grants
ETA invited state workforce agencies to seek fiscal year 2015 supplemental funding for unemployment insurance payment integrity, performance and technology projects. The letter set eligibility…
Disaster unemployment assistance amounts for summer 2015
ETA sent state workforce agencies the minimum Disaster Unemployment Assistance weekly benefit amounts for major disasters declared from July through September 2015. Its attachment lists each state's…
Transition from WIA participants, funds, and contracts to WIOA
ETA explained how state workforce agencies and grantees should carry WIA funds and participants into WIOA beginning July 1, 2015. It also covered reporting, grant modifications, and service provider…
Prior engineering-practices process-safety enforcement memo
OSHA’s 2015 memo told inspectors how to assess recognized engineering practices in process-safety inspections, including mandatory and recommended wording in technical standards. OSHA now states on…
Prior process-safety policy for chemical mixtures
OSHA’s 2015 memo set an enforcement approach for highly hazardous chemicals present in mixtures under the process-safety standard. OSHA now says the document no longer represents its guidance. Its…
Seat belts in airport ground vehicles under a settlement
An airline asked whether workers could continue moving covered ground vehicles without seat belts for short repositioning trips under its OSHA settlement. OSHA said the agreement permitted that…
Program year 2015 Indian and Native American workforce allocations and plan extension
ETA told Indian and Native American workforce grantees how to request program year 2015 funds, what performance goals to use, and when older grants must close. It extended their existing service…
National Farmworker Jobs Program operating guidance under WIOA
ETA gave National Farmworker Jobs Program grantees guidance for moving employment, training, and housing activities into WIOA. It addressed eligibility, services, planning, and program…
Hazard-label transition and transport pictograms for small makers
A senator relayed a small paint maker’s concerns about the 2015 hazard-label deadline, cost and overlap with transport labels. OSHA maintained the stated compliance date, explained limited interim…
Concentrated Employment Program local area designation under WIOA
ETA clarified that qualifying Concentrated Employment Programs could request initial and subsequent designation as local workforce areas under WIOA. It also corrected the procedure for new local…
Restoration of Program Year 2014 WIA adult and dislocated worker allotments
ETA restored Program Year 2014 WIA Adult and Dislocated Worker allotments after a continuing resolution had reduced the advance funds by 0.0554 percent. It gave states revised amounts in two…
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These are official interpretive documents from the U.S. Department of Labor: opinion letters answering questions from employers and workers, administrative policies, and interpretive notices. They show how the agency applies wage-and-hour and workplace law to real situations, but they are guidance, not statutes or court decisions, and the agency can supersede or withdraw them. Every page above shows the document's current status, when that status was last verified, and a link to the official source.