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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Single safety data sheet for similar consumer products
A company asked whether one safety data sheet can cover variants of consumer products handled by its employees. OSHA said a single sheet can cover similar mixtures with the same hazards if it…
Additional pandemic UI fraud funding and identity verification guidance
ETA offered states a third round of funds to prevent and detect fraud and recover overpayments in the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance and Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation programs. It…
State grants for unemployment fraud prevention and recovery
ETA offered state unemployment agencies up to $140 million for identity verification, fraud detection, cybersecurity and overpayment recovery across unemployment programs. States applying for funds…
OSHA requirements and machinery design
A requester asked OSHA how manufacturers should design machinery to meet federal safety rules and incorporated standards. OSHA declined to give design advice. It explained that employers must meet…
State referrals and disclosure of unemployment fraud information to DOL OIG
ETA told state unemployment agencies to refer reasonably suspected fraud, waste, abuse, mismanagement and misconduct to the Labor Department’s inspector general. It also required disclosure of…
Updated high-poverty area lookup for WIOA youth eligibility, Change 1
ETA updated the directions for using Census data to decide whether a young person lives in a high-poverty area for WIOA youth program eligibility. The Census website had changed since TEGL 21-16, so…
Hazardous waste rules for homeless-camp cleanup
A requester asked whether homeless-encampment cleanup can trigger OSHA’s hazardous-waste operations standard. OSHA said coverage depends on the site, hazards and government recognition; biological…
State duties after pandemic unemployment programs end
ETA explained what state unemployment agencies still had to do after their pandemic benefit programs ended, whether by early state termination or the September 6, 2021 expiration. States had to keep…
National Farmworker Jobs Program eligibility, Change 1
ETA clarified National Farmworker Jobs Program eligibility, including how grantees could account for seasonal work and irregular income. It also addressed low-income calculations and participant…
FY 2021 second Trade Adjustment Assistance fund distribution
ETA gave state agencies their second distribution of FY 2021 Trade Adjustment Assistance Training and Other Activities funds. It explained the formula and how states could request reserve funds for…
Updated Interim Enforcement Response Plan for Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)
OSHA updated its 2021 instructions for inspecting COVID-19 hazards in workplaces outside the healthcare emergency standard. It prioritized serious cases and high-risk settings, described onsite and…
Limits on temporary unemployment flexibilities during COVID-19
ETA told states to reassess COVID-19 emergency flexibilities for work search and employer experience rating and end them when no longer needed to respond to the disease. It also said states could…
Program Year 2021 workforce and labor market information grants
ETA set Program Year 2021 requirements for state Workforce and Labor Market Information Grants. It described required databases, public data products, staff training, schedules, and other permitted…
CAREER dislocated worker grant funding announcement
ETA offered up to $43 million in CAREER National Dislocated Worker Grants to connect people affected by the pandemic with work and expand digital service delivery. The letter described eligible…
Hazard communication for lithium batteries
Battery industry groups asked OSHA to assess lithium batteries before applying its hazard-communication rule. OSHA said manufacturers and importers classify hazards, including hazards in normal use…
Minimum disaster unemployment assistance for July to September 2021
ETA provided state unemployment agencies a table of minimum weekly Disaster Unemployment Assistance amounts for major disasters declared from July 1 through September 30, 2021. The amounts use half…
Trade Adjustment Assistance Reversion 2021 operating instructions
ETA gave state agencies operating instructions for the Reversion 2021 version of Trade Adjustment Assistance, covering workers in groups petitioning on or after July 1, 2021. It explained…
State grant compliance and benefit offsets under Families First
ETA asked states to document how they met conditions for emergency unemployment administration grants under the Families First law, using Form MA 8-7 by August 2, 2021. It also clarified the rules…
Program Year 2021 National Farmworker Jobs Program grants
ETA gave National Farmworker Jobs Program career services, training, and housing grantees Program Year 2021 allotments and application instructions. It required plan and budget documents through…
Short time compensation for businesses reopening after COVID-19
ETA explained how states could use short time compensation, also called work sharing, when businesses brought back employees with reduced hours after pandemic closures. Under a state approved plan,…
Personal locks in group lockout procedures
A worker asked OSHA about two group lockout arrangements for replacing a pump. OSHA rejected a setup in which only the supervisor locked the group box and kept a worker log, because each authorized…
Program Year 2021 Indian and Native American WIOA allotments
ETA gave WIOA Section 166 Indian and Native American grantees Program Year 2021 Comprehensive Services and Supplemental Youth Services allotments. It explained grant application documents and how…
Registered apprenticeships on WIOA training provider lists, Change 1
ETA clarified how registered apprenticeship programs can appear on WIOA eligible training provider lists and how states should handle their inclusion. It told states to review related policies and…
Registered apprenticeships as eligible training providers, Change 1
ETA clarified how registered apprenticeship programs can appear on WIOA eligible training provider lists and how states should handle their inclusion. It told states to review related policies and…
FY 2021 foreign labor certification state grants
ETA gave state workforce agencies FY 2021 foreign labor certification grant allocations and application instructions. It described state recruitment, job order, and housing inspection work, plus…
Program Year 2021 SCSEP allotments and grant plans
ETA gave state, territorial, and national Senior Community Service Employment Program grantees Program Year 2021 allotments and application instructions. It directed grantees to HHS poverty…
Enforcement procedures for missing electronic injury and illness records
OSHA instructed inspectors to check whether employers had submitted required electronic injury and illness summaries. The memo said an employer should not be cited for a March 2 deadline miss caused…
Pandemic unemployment overpayment waivers and fraud penalties
ETA explained how states should handle overpayments in CARES Act unemployment programs, including when to assess fraud penalties and when recovery could be waived. It instructed states not to add…
Returning unemployment funds held by banks after suspicious activity
ETA told state unemployment agencies how to recover federally funded benefits that banks held after detecting suspicious activity, when several states had paid into the same account. States were to…
2021 benefit accuracy measurement reporting schedule
ETA set deadlines and procedures for state agencies to finish and reconcile 2021 Benefit Accuracy Measurement samples of paid and denied unemployment claims. The results supported the annual…
Minimum approach distance while installing portable grounds
A utility asked whether workers must keep the minimum approach distance while installing portable grounds after closing fixed grounding switches. OSHA said lines and equipment must still be treated…
Measuring background noise in audiometric testing rooms
An audiology company asked what sound-meter settings can be used to check background noise in rooms used for workplace hearing tests. OSHA said Z weighting, slow or equivalent-level time…
Fiscal 2021 state unemployment resource allocations
ETA gave state unemployment agencies their fiscal 2021 administrative funding allocations and instructions for planning, above base funding and supplemental budget requests. The attachment lists…
Program Year 2021 WIOA and Employment Service allotments
ETA gave states and outlying areas Program Year 2021 allotments for WIOA Adult, Dislocated Worker, and Youth programs, the Employment Service, and workforce information grants. It explained funding…
Trade Adjustment Assistance financial reporting alignment
ETA instructed state agencies how to align Trade Adjustment Assistance participant records with ETA-9130 financial reports. It addressed accrual accounting, expenditure categories, adjustments,…
Hands-on training in initial HAZWOPER courses
A requester asked whether computer-based or classroom HAZWOPER courses can omit hands-on practice. OSHA said initial training must include an actual hands-on component, including practice with…
Hazard classification of saturated wipes
A manufacturer asked how to classify cloth-like wipes saturated with hazardous liquid for workplace hazard communication. OSHA said the manufacturer or importer must classify the product based on…
Interim Enforcement Guidance for the 2020 Final Beryllium Standards
OSHA gave inspectors interim procedures for enforcing its 2020 beryllium rules in general industry, construction, and shipyards. The memo covers exposure assessment, controls, medical surveillance,…
SCSEP priority and participation limits after 2020 amendments
ETA updated Senior Community Service Employment Program guidance after 2020 changes to the Older Americans Act. Grantees must consider eligible people incarcerated within the prior five years, or…
Evidence for PAPR welding helmet protection factor
A welding employer asked whether OSHA approves powered-air respirators rated at an assigned protection factor of 1,000. OSHA said it does not test or certify them; employers need appropriate…
Identity verification in unemployment claims
ETA explained the procedures state unemployment agencies must follow when a claimant’s identity is questionable. Agencies must verify identity while applying claim determination and appeal…
Liquidated damages in pre-litigation settlements
WHD’s 2021 bulletin instructed staff to seek liquidated damages in some pre-litigation FLSA settlements after consultation with the Solicitor’s Office. WHD rescinded it effective June 27, 2025, when…
American Rescue Plan changes to Extended Benefits
ETA explained how the American Rescue Plan extended full federal funding for certain Extended Benefits costs and coordinated Extended Benefits with Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation. The…
Work Opportunity Tax Credit certification procedures
ETA gave state workforce agencies updated procedures for processing Work Opportunity Tax Credit certification requests, including backlogged requests. It replaced the older ETA Handbook 408…
Program Year 2020 dislocated worker fund reallotment
ETA adjusted Program Year 2020 WIOA dislocated worker funding after Kentucky, Nevada, Puerto Rico, and West Virginia had more than 20 percent of their prior-year allotments unobligated. It…
FY 2021 WOTC remaining allotments and backlog awards, Change 1
ETA gave state workforce agencies the remaining FY 2021 Work Opportunity Tax Credit administration funds under the full-year appropriation. It also named 12 states selected for backlog awards and…
Labels on intermediate hazardous-chemical shipping packages
A shipper asked whether a third packaging layer around labeled chemical vials needs an OSHA hazard-communication label. OSHA said the layer is not an immediate container and generally needs no such…
Exposure limits and pharmaceuticals on safety data sheets
A requester asked which exposure limits belong on a safety data sheet and when pharmaceutical products qualify for a hazard-communication exemption. OSHA said action levels are optional supplemental…
American Rescue Plan relief for reimbursing employers
ETA instructed states on American Rescue Plan relief for state and local governments, certain nonprofits and federally recognized tribes that reimburse unemployment costs instead of paying…
American Rescue Plan extension of pandemic emergency benefits
ETA explained how the American Rescue Plan extended Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation through weeks ending on or before September 6, 2021. It also increased total benefits, eliminated an…
American Rescue Plan extensions of FPUC and MEUC
ETA explained that the American Rescue Plan extended Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation and Mixed Earners Unemployment Compensation through weeks ending on or before September 6, 2021.…
Minimum disaster unemployment assistance for April to June 2021
ETA gave state unemployment agencies a table of minimum weekly Disaster Unemployment Assistance amounts for major disasters declared from April 1 through June 30, 2021. The amounts use half of each…
Explosives standards for DOT non-explosive devices
A manufacturer asked whether OSHA’s explosives and process-safety rules apply to devices classified by DOT as outside the explosive class. OSHA said those two standards do not apply to articles or…
American Rescue Plan unemployment insurance provisions
ETA explained the American Rescue Plan’s unemployment provisions and gave state agencies instructions to implement them. The law extended several temporary pandemic benefit programs, with changes,…
Expanded Pandemic Unemployment Assistance eligibility
ETA added three COVID-19 reasons under which a claimant could self certify for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance: certain unsafe work situations, certain work in education, and reduced hours or…
Fall distance on fixed ladders with cages and platforms
A grain-equipment manufacturer asked whether its ladder cages, straps and landing platforms could satisfy the fixed-ladder fall-protection rule without a separate arrest system. OSHA said yes if the…
Fiscal 2021 RESEA grant operating guidance
ETA gave state agencies operating guidance and projected funding for fiscal 2021 Reemployment Services and Eligibility Assessments grants. States seeking funds had to submit a plan and budget within…
Fiscal 2021 sequestration for mandatory unemployment programs
ETA instructed state agencies on a 5.7 percent sequestration reduction for nonexempt mandatory unemployment programs in fiscal 2021. It identified exempt programs and explained how reductions…
FY 2021 initial Trade Adjustment Assistance allocations
ETA gave state agencies their initial FY 2021 Trade Adjustment Assistance Training and Other Activities allocations. It explained the formula behind state amounts and how states could request…
FY 2021 Trade Adjustment Assistance grant applications
ETA instructed state agencies how to submit SF-424 applications through Grants.gov for FY 2021 Trade Adjustment Assistance Training and Other Activities funds. These grants cover training, case…
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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.