State and Federal Labor Guidance
Free state and federal labor-agency opinion letters, administrative policies, and interpretive notices, with plain-English summaries, current status, and the official source on every page.
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WIA waivers during the transition to WIOA Withdrawn
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WIOA training provider eligibility transition Withdrawn
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Fiscal Year 2015 TAA second distribution and reserve funds Withdrawn
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Program Year 2015 labor market information grants Rescinded
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 Withdrawn
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 Withdrawn
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 Withdrawn
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 Superseded
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 Superseded
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 Unknown
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 Withdrawn
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 Rescinded
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 Withdrawn
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 Withdrawn
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…
WIOA transition funding from the 2014 Dislocated Worker reserve Withdrawn
ETA allotted Program Year 2014 Dislocated Worker reserve funds to states, outlying areas, and Indian and Native American grantees for WIOA implementation. It identified activities such as staff…
Fiscal Year 2015 Foreign Labor Certification grant planning Withdrawn
ETA gave state workforce agencies funding and planning instructions for Fiscal Year 2015 foreign labor certification activities. Four attachments provide program instructions, an annual plan form, a…
POWER Initiative National Dislocated Worker Grants Rescinded
ETA announced up to $20 million in National Dislocated Worker Grants for workforce strategies in communities affected by changes in the coal economy. It described eligible applicants, activities,…
Program Year 2015 WIOA and Wagner-Peyser allotments Withdrawn
ETA published Program Year 2015 WIOA and Wagner-Peyser allotments for states and outlying areas. This change replaced the base letter and moved the SF-424 due date for three WIOA funding streams to…
Application for final WIA Section 503 incentive grants Withdrawn
ETA explained how eligible states could apply for WIA Section 503 incentive grants based on Program Year 2013 performance and how they could use the awards. The letter identified three eligible…
Sector Partnership National Emergency Grants Withdrawn
ETA announced up to $150 million in Sector Partnership National Emergency Grants. It described who could apply, the proposed workforce strategies, and grant administration and reporting…
Program Year 2015 WIA performance goal negotiations Withdrawn
ETA expected states to carry their Program Year 2014 WIA and Wagner-Peyser performance goals into 2015, but explained how a state could negotiate revised goals. Three attachments give a timeline,…
Program Year 2015 WIOA and Wagner-Peyser allotments Rescinded
ETA gave states and outlying areas Program Year 2015 WIOA, Wagner-Peyser, and workforce information allotments. Eight attachments provide formulas and allotment tables. Change 1 rescinded this…
Extension of agricultural outreach plans and farmworker office designations Withdrawn
ETA extended states’ existing agricultural outreach plans and migrant and seasonal farmworker state and local office designations through June 30, 2016. States did not need to submit updated plans…
Blank pictogram frames on chemical labels
A chemical-distributor group asked whether preprinted chemical labels may leave unused red pictogram frames empty or fill them with words such as “Intentionally Blank.” OSHA said neither is…
Combustible-dust accumulation depth for low-density dusts
OSHA gave inspectors a way to adjust combustible-dust layer depth when the material’s bulk density is below 75 pounds per cubic foot. It instructs them to consider sample density and accumulation…
2014 Work Opportunity Tax Credit reauthorization and 2015 lapse Withdrawn
ETA informed state workforce agencies that Congress had retroactively reauthorized the Work Opportunity Tax Credit for 2014. It gave instructions for processing employer certification requests…
WIOA transition and workforce board governance Rescinded
ETA told states which workforce governance steps to take before WIOA took effect in July 2015, including state board appointments and local area designation policies. Its attachments set out state…
Rapid Response funds for WIOA transition costs Withdrawn
ETA gave states temporary flexibility to use some Rapid Response funds for WIOA implementation work during program years 2012 through 2015. The letter explains the funding limits, permitted…
2015 SCSEP grant plans and funding allotments Rescinded
ETA told Senior Community Service Employment Program grantees how to apply for program year 2015 funds and provided their funding and authorized position allotments. Six attachments contain the…
2015 National Farmworker Jobs Program grant planning Withdrawn
ETA instructed National Farmworker Jobs Program grantees on their program year 2015 plans and performance goals as the program moved from WIA to WIOA. Three attachments provide employment, training,…
U and T visa certification procedures: addendum
WHD added forced labor, extortion, and foreign-labor-contracting fraud to the activities it may certify for U visas and set procedures for T visa law-enforcement certifications arising from…
Disaster unemployment assistance amounts for spring 2015 Withdrawn
ETA sent state workforce agencies the minimum Disaster Unemployment Assistance weekly benefit amounts for major disasters declared from April through June 2015. The attachment lists each state's…
Fiscal year 2015 reemployment service grants Unknown
ETA invited state workforce agencies to apply for fiscal year 2015 reemployment services and eligibility assessment grants. It explained the transition from the older assessment program, set service…
WIOA youth program transition guidance
ETA guided states and local workforce areas through the move from WIA youth formula programs to WIOA. It explained the new out-of-school youth spending requirement, youth service oversight, and how…
Unknown acute toxicity statements on mixture labels
A chemical company asked when a mixture must state that some ingredients have unknown acute toxicity for a particular exposure route. OSHA said the statement is required only when the mixture is…
Veterans' entered employment rate threshold and compliance
ETA and the Veterans’ Employment and Training Service explained how the national threshold for entered employment rates would be applied to each state's reported outcomes for veterans and eligible…
Restarting interrupted qualitative respirator fit tests
A university requester asked whether a Saccharin or Bitrex respirator fit test may resume after the wearer stops and removes the test hood. OSHA said the entire procedure, including taste-threshold…
2015 Work Opportunity Tax Credit funding allotments Withdrawn
ETA gave state workforce agencies their fiscal year 2015 funds for administering the Work Opportunity Tax Credit through September 30, 2015. It also gave reporting instructions during a lapse in…
Fiscal year 2015 state unemployment insurance allocations Withdrawn
ETA gave state unemployment insurance agencies their fiscal year 2015 base allocations and instructions for above-base funding and supplemental budget requests. The letter describes resource…
2015 Trade Adjustment Assistance funding allocations Withdrawn
ETA gave state workforce agencies their initial fiscal year 2015 Trade Adjustment Assistance allocations and explained the funding formula. It also described how states could request reserve funds…
Janitors and caretakers of residential property must get at least the basic minimum wage
DLS was asked whether summer camps may pay janitors and caretakers less than minimum wage. DLS answered no: although the law lets the DLS Director set special wage rates for certain job categories,…
2015 benefit accuracy measurement reporting schedule Withdrawn
ETA set deadlines for state workforce agencies to complete and check their 2015 unemployment insurance benefit accuracy data before the Department's publication. It explained when states should…
Corrected effective date for 2015 military pension adjustment Withdrawn
ETA corrected its earlier military pension letter: the cost-of-living adjustments took effect December 1, 2014. It told states whose unemployment laws offset benefits for pension income to apply the…
WIOA workforce system vision and first implementation steps
ETA described its vision for the workforce system under WIOA and urged state and local leaders to begin implementation work. It identified initial steps and forthcoming guidance and technical…
Fall-protection enforcement policies for electric utility work Unknown
OSHA set conditional enforcement policies for fall arrest in bucket-type aerial lifts and on towers during electric utility work. The memo allows specified arrangements when certain anchorages or…
Temporary enforcement dates for electric-power safety rules Unknown
OSHA ended an earlier temporary citation policy and set staged enforcement dates for updated electric-power safety rules, including information transfer, arc protection, fall protection and approach…
Electric utility tree-trimming scope under 1910.269 Unknown
OSHA said its electric-power rule covers line-clearance tree trimming only when done to clear power lines or equipment and on behalf of the organization operating or controlling them. Trimming for a…
Kneeling, lifting and ergonomic hazards for veterinary staff
A veterinary worker asked about protection from knee, ankle and back injuries caused by kneeling, squatting and lifting animals. OSHA said it has no specific rule limiting time in those postures or…
Veterans' significant barriers to employment for DVOP services Withdrawn
This change to TEGL 19-13 expanded and clarified the significant barriers to employment that make veterans and eligible spouses eligible for Disabled Veterans’ Outreach Program specialist services.…
Securing oxygen cylinders on mobile medical equipment
A medical-equipment company asked what “secure” means when moving oxygen cylinders on mobile equipment. OSHA said the requirement is performance based: cylinders must be prevented from falling,…
Small-package accommodation for chemical hazard labels
A trade group proposed a shortened label for very small adhesive packages. OSHA said an accommodation is possible only when full information cannot be supplied using pull-out labels, tags or similar…
Medical review for asbestos workers using respirators
A school district asked about workers doing Class III asbestos work for fewer than 30 days a year while wearing negative-pressure respirators. OSHA said they do not meet the 30-day surveillance…
Foreign hazard classifications and downstream alloy processing
A chemical company asked whether U.S. labels may also show foreign hazard classifications and whether metal-alloy hazards arising during welding or grinding must be classified. OSHA said foreign…
How this guidance is useful
- See how the agency reads the law: An opinion letter shows how a state labor agency actually applied wage-and-hour law to a real employer's or worker's situation.
- Check the status before relying: Every page shows whether the document is still active or has been superseded, rescinded, or withdrawn, and when that status was last verified.
- Guidance, not law: These documents explain the agency's position but bind no court, and the agency can change its view. The official document linked on every page is the authoritative source.
- Research across states: Compare how different states treat the same question, from overtime and travel time to tips and independent-contractor status.
Browse guidance by state
This library covers 8 states plus federal guidance so far. Every document is checked against the agency's official source before it is published, so states are added as their labor departments' guidance is verified, not all at once. If your state is not listed yet, its labor department's own site is the place to check.