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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Revised fiscal and reporting instructions for 2002 temporary extended benefits
ETA replaced Sections V and VI of UIPL 17-02's operating instructions for the 2002 Temporary Extended Unemployment Compensation program. States had to report administrative grants and costs on a…
Community and faith-based partners in workforce programs
ETA asked state workforce agencies to broaden partnerships with grassroots community and faith-based organizations in workforce boards and One-Stop centers. It recommended board participation,…
Wearing hard hats with the bill to the rear
A safety coordinator asked if OSHA still requires hard hats to be worn with the bill forward. OSHA said yes, unless the manufacturer certifies that the hat, including a reversed liner if needed,…
Additional questions and answers on 2002 temporary extended benefits
ETA added questions and answers to UIPL 18-02 about implementing the 2002 Temporary Extended Unemployment Compensation program. The attachment addresses claims and appeals, eligibility and benefit…
Shear connector enforcement policy in bridge steel erection
A state highway official asked whether shop-installed shear connectors on bridge girders could be treated as de minimis if workers used fall protection. OSHA said its then-current directive allowed…
September 11 filing relief for tax credit forms
ETA explained temporary relief from the 21-day Form 8850 filing deadline after the September 11, 2001 attacks. It identified which employers could use the IRS's 120-day postponement, the shorter…
Counting AFDC and TANF months for tax credit eligibility
ETA instructed state workforce agencies to count any AFDC or TANF benefits received during a calendar month as a full month when checking eligibility for specified Work Opportunity and…
Braille and tactile signs at workplace exits
An accessibility consultant asked whether ADA-compliant Braille and tactile signs may supplement OSHA exit signs. OSHA said its rules do not bar additional signs and it does not enforce ADA…
2002 special Reed Act distribution and state reporting
ETA explained how an $8 billion special Reed Act distribution was divided among state unemployment trust fund accounts in March 2002. It supplied each state's allocation, described the calculation…
Deadline and access rules for employee exposure records
An employee asked detailed questions about access to exposure records and OSHA citation practice. OSHA said the 15-day response period starts when the employer receives a request, air monitoring…
Venture capital operating company management rights
An investor asked whether negotiated rights in an operating company were management rights under the plan-assets regulation. The requester represented that the rights exceeded ordinary…
Release procedures for 2001 unemployment benefit accuracy data
ETA set dates for closing, checking, and publishing states’ calendar-year 2001 Benefit Accuracy Measurement data. It said states could decide whether to publish their own data, but must provide the…
Revised Welfare-to-Work questions and answers
ETA issued a revised set of Welfare-to-Work questions and answers for state and local grantees following the 1999 program amendments. The attached guidance addresses eligibility, permitted services,…
Questions and answers on 2002 temporary extended unemployment benefits
ETA answered state agencies’ questions about implementing the 2002 Temporary Extended Unemployment Compensation program. The attachment covers when state agreements take effect, claimant eligibility…
Operating instructions for 2002 temporary extended unemployment benefits
ETA gave states operating instructions for the 2002 Temporary Extended Unemployment Compensation program. The letter described up to 13 weeks of federally financed benefits, with up to 13 more in…
Notifying federal agencies of unpaid tribal unemployment obligations
ETA instructed state unemployment agencies to notify both the IRS and Labor Department when an Indian tribe failed to make required payments within 90 days after a state delinquency notice. The IRS…
Approval and burden estimate for combined-wage reporting
ETA informed states that the ETA 586 report for combining employment and wages across states had OMB approval through December 2004. It estimated four hours to complete each report and said the…
Improving Trade Adjustment Assistance program management
ETA told state workforce agencies to strengthen the follow-up and outcome management of Trade Adjustment Assistance and NAFTA-TAA programs after an Inspector General audit. It set fiscal year 2002…
PY 2002 workforce program allotments and planning estimates
ETA announced program year 2002 funding for WIA youth, adult and dislocated worker programs, Wagner-Peyser employment services, reemployment services and workforce information grants. The letter…
Scaffold access frame rung width and spacing
A scaffold manufacturer asked whether its built-in tower access frames met OSHA requirements. OSHA said the submitted design lacked adequate tread width in places, misaligned steps, and created…
Forklift work platforms, seat belts, cylinders, and eyewash
A safety consultant asked several powered-truck questions. OSHA said a personnel platform on forklift forks is not an aerial lift, guardrails can remove the need for personal fall arrest on that…
Shared anchorage for window-cleaning lifeline and equipment tie-back
A window-cleaning equipment maker asked if a single anchorage may hold both a lifeline and an equipment tie-back. OSHA said its general PPE rule requires safe design and construction; a relevant…
Fall protection and agency authority for ready-mix concrete trucks
A concrete trade group asked if general-industry fall rules cover workers on ready-mix trucks and whether DOT has exclusive authority. OSHA said its then-current policy did not cite such falls under…
Implementation plan for unemployment insurance data validation
ETA announced approval of a new unemployment insurance data validation program and gave states until July 31, 2003, to complete validation. It told states to update their own handbook components,…
Clarifications on WIA youth services and eligibility
ETA clarified three WIA youth program issues: competitive selection of service providers, what counts as attending school, and how to document eligibility. Its attachments explain that the adult…
Corrected 2002 military remuneration schedule for UCX claims
ETA corrected its military remuneration schedule for unemployment claims by former service members. States were to use the attached pay grade rates for first claims filed beginning with the first…
Interest rate on Title XII advances for calendar year 2002
ETA told state unemployment agencies that the U.S. Treasury would charge 6.2718 percent interest on Title XII advances during calendar year 2002. The letter required no action from states. ETA now…
Revising WIA negotiated performance levels
ETA explained when a state could ask to revise its negotiated WIA performance goals after an unanticipated change in economic conditions, participant characteristics or services. A request had to…
Process safety management for chemical warehouses
An insurer asked whether a warehouse storing lab chemicals without mixing or processing them falls under process safety management. OSHA said storage alone can trigger the rule if a covered chemical…
Steel erection controlling contractor responsibilities
A member of Congress asked about a general contractor’s responsibilities under the steel-erection rule. OSHA listed duties such as providing strength and anchor-bolt notices, safe access and…
Verification of group lockout and tagout across shifts
A utility asked whether a primary authorized worker must repeat isolation checks every day on a long job. OSHA said continuous participation in the lockout can avoid a new check each shift, and the…
Minimum disaster unemployment benefits for January–March 2002
ETA supplied a state-by-state table of average weekly unemployment benefits, calculated 50 percent amounts, and rounded minimum Disaster Unemployment Assistance benefits. The figures applied to…
BAM claimant questionnaire and job contact information
ETA told state unemployment agencies to keep collecting job contact information in Benefit Accuracy Measurement investigations, even if state law did not require claimants to look for work.…
Continued operation of TAA and NAFTA-TAA programs
ETA told states to keep operating the TAA and NAFTA-TAA programs after Congress appropriated fiscal year 2002 funds while reauthorization remained unresolved. States were to request program…
Reed Act reimbursement for major software acquisitions
ETA clarified its Reed Act guidance by treating major software acquisitions as automatic data processing installations. It said software costing $1 million or more could be amortized with…
Workload and cost model inputs for 2002 Resource Justification Model
ETA told state unemployment agencies which workload figures and cost model values to enter in Resource Justification Model funding worksheets. The attachments give state base workloads for fiscal…
2001 military pension increases and unemployment benefit offsets
ETA reported military retired pay increases effective December 2001 and gave different percentages based on a member’s service or retirement date. It told states whose unemployment laws reduce…
WOTC and welfare-to-work tax credit procedures during lapse
After WOTC and welfare-to-work tax credit authority expired in December 2001, ETA told states to keep accepting and logging employer certification requests for later action. It warned employers that…
Waxed cotton string for electrical tagout devices
A utility asked whether waxed cotton string could attach tagout devices at nuclear plants. OSHA said no for equipment under its authority because the attachment was reusable and not self-locking; it…
Bridge steel-erection shear connector petition and transition dates
A bridge trade group asked OSHA to exempt bridge construction from shear-connector rules and extend the steel-erection transition. OSHA declined the exemption, citing the rulemaking record on trip…
Draft steel-erection compliance directive and 2002 outreach period
A construction trade association asked about the short period for commenting on a draft steel-erection compliance directive. OSHA said it could revise the directive after the rule took effect and…
Sponsor trust company charging its pension plans
A trust company asked whether it could charge its own defined benefit plans standard trustee fees under service exemptions. EBSA said fees above direct expenses properly incurred in providing the…
Participant asset allocation program and affiliated funds
An investment firm asked about a participant advice program that could invest in its affiliated funds. EBSA said no per se section 406(b)(1) or (b)(3) violation arose solely from increased advisory…
Construction manager duties under the multi-employer citation policy
A safety company asked when a construction manager can be cited for subcontractor safety violations. OSHA said the answer depends on actual authority and conduct, not the manager’s title or whether…
Guarding a pneumatic tool used to cut PVC pipe inside a manhole
A worker asked whether a guarded pneumatic cutting tool could be used without its guard when cutting PVC pipe from inside a manhole. OSHA said the construction tool rule requires the guard when the…
Resource Justification Model reporting approval and deadlines
ETA announced federal approval for collecting state unemployment insurance administrative cost data through the Resource Justification Model. It told states where to obtain the forms and set January…
Scaffold access gates and OSHA compliance directives in shipyard work
A lawyer asked whether OSHA requires access gates at a scaffold inside a dry-docked drilling rig being converted to a hotel. OSHA said shipyard rules applied and did not specifically address those…
Workforce program guidance for activated reservists
ETA answered state questions about WIA participants called to active military duty. States could keep or exit those participants with proper documentation, but needs-related and supportive payments…
Career firefighters volunteering for nonprofit rescue companies
A county asked WHD to revisit whether its career firefighters had to be paid when they volunteered for separately incorporated nonprofit fire and rescue companies. WHD said the companies controlled…
Rough-terrain forklift platforms used to lift construction workers
An insurer asked what rules govern a rough-terrain forklift lifting people on a platform. OSHA said both forklift and scaffold standards apply: the machine must be designed to elevate personnel, the…
WIA performance report submission procedures
ETA instructed states how to submit their program year 2000 WIA annual reports and individual participant records by December 1, 2001. The letter and attachments specify submission channels, data…
Revisions to WIA participant and performance reporting
ETA revised the WIA participant and performance reporting guidance in TEGL 14-00. It corrected data definitions, clarified quarterly and annual reporting, required states to verify and validate…
Resetting circuit breakers after a protective trip
A code consultant asked when workers may reset a tripped breaker. OSHA said an unqualified worker may reset it once if an overload is verified and no energized parts above 50 volts are exposed. A…
Training requirements for process hazard analysis facilitators
A company asked whether its process hazard analysis facilitator needed formal training. OSHA said the rule does not prescribe a course, but the team must include expertise in engineering, process…
Changes to ETA's advisory system
ETA explained changes to how it publishes guidance and information for states and grant recipients. TEGLs would carry workforce program guidance, UIPLs would cover unemployment insurance, and TENs…
Customer satisfaction survey methodology changes
ETA revised how states surveyed WIA participants and employers about their satisfaction with services. It set minimum completed interviews and response rates, revised sampling and confidentiality…
Claiming hazardous chemical ingredients as trade secrets
A manufacturer asked when it may claim a hazardous ingredient as a trade secret. OSHA said the claim must be supportable; publicly known ingredients cannot qualify. Exposure limits and the…
Qualifications for annual bakery oven safety inspections
An engineering company asked whether OSHA would approve it to inspect bakery ovens and whether plant engineers could do the work. OSHA said it does not certify inspectors. It interprets the annual…
Spray-booth face velocity under OSHA ventilation standards
A safety engineer asked whether spray booths must meet both a table of airflow ranges and a 100-feet-per-minute rule. OSHA said the 100-feet-per-minute rule applies to dry overspray collectors,…
OSHA authority over customer safety in retail stores
A customer asked OSHA about safety at a retail store. OSHA explained that its authority under the Occupational Safety and Health Act reaches employment in workplaces, not customer safety as such,…
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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.