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.
No documents match your search
Try different keywords or clear a filter.
Safety data sheets at manufacturer-owned retail and wholesale outlets
A lawyer asked how safety data sheet delivery works when a chemical manufacturer also operates retail and wholesale stores. OSHA said the stores can use the rule's retail or over-the-counter…
Fall protection enforcement on railcars and other rolling stock Unknown
OSHA told inspectors how to address falls from the tops of railcars and similar rolling stock. It said the then-current general-industry walking-surface rule should not be cited for those falls,…
Kentucky counties association staff in public retirement system Unknown
A requester asked whether including employees of the Kentucky Association of Counties would affect the county retirement system's governmental-plan status. EBSA found the association a governmental…
Union representative access to the OSHA 200 injury log Unknown
A union representative asked whether designated employee representatives could inspect an employer's OSHA 200 injury and illness log. OSHA said they had the same access rights as current and former…
Recordkeeping when a worker has a one-day restriction Unknown
An employer asked how older OSHA log rules treated a restriction lasting only the day of injury, followed by a doctor's clearance. OSHA said a case with a work restriction on the injury day must be…
Beards and tight-fitting respirator face seals
A hospital worker asked whether beard growth can be allowed with a tight-fitting respirator if a worker passes a fit test. OSHA said facial hair between the mask seal and skin is not permitted even…
Lockout duties during federal food safety inspections
The USDA food inspection service asked OSHA to review its proposed lockout training materials. OSHA said the agency, as employer, could not shift responsibility for inspectors' safety to the host…
Aurora public-employee health fund as governmental Unknown
An Aurora employee health fund asked whether it was outside ERISA Title I. EBSA found city and related public-entity funding, city trustee appointments, and coverage limited to their current and…
Denver fire and police health fund as governmental Unknown
A Denver fire and police health fund asked whether it was excluded from ERISA Title I. EBSA cited governmental sponsorship, about 83 percent public contributions, and participation limited to the…
Texas Catholic health ministry benefit plans Unknown
A Texas Sisters of Charity health ministry asked whether its employee benefit plans were church plans. EBSA said workers of the church-controlled or associated tax-exempt organizations were church…
Interstate and commuter claims data exchange for remote claimtaking Unknown
ETA told state unemployment agencies how to exchange interstate and commuter claims data as they began taking claims remotely. Liable states were to send initial-claim and weekly-claim data through…
1996 welfare reform changes to state unemployment programs Unknown
ETA explained how the 1996 welfare reform law affected state unemployment agencies. It addressed new-hire directories, quarterly wage and claim data for the national child-support directory,…
General provisions in 1994–1996 DOL appropriations laws Rescinded
ETA told state JTPA and Wagner-Peyser grantees which general provisions in the 1994–1996 DOL appropriations laws affected their grants. It highlighted notices about buying American-made products,…
Maryland Mennonite health center benefit plans Unknown
A Maryland psychiatric center controlled by Mennonite church organizations asked whether its pension and welfare plans were church plans. EBSA agreed with an IRS private ruling if the center and…
Disinfectants labeled effective against HIV and hepatitis B Superseded
A disinfectant maker asked whether EPA-registered products effective against HIV and hepatitis B could be used for contaminated work surfaces. OSHA initially limited their use to situations where…
Chiropractic treatments under older injury-log rules Unknown
A state labor official asked whether one chiropractic visit made a worker's case recordable under older OSHA log guidance. OSHA said the number of treatments mattered more than visits: a single…
Recording needlestick injuries on the OSHA 200 log Unknown
A medical center asked when a work-related needlestick injury had to appear on the OSHA 200 log. OSHA said the older rule required recording when the event involved restricted work, job transfer,…
Voluntary flu-shot reactions under older injury-log policy Unknown
An employer asked OSHA to reconsider logging illnesses from voluntary flu shots offered at work. OSHA said it was revising its interpretation immediately: cases caused solely by a voluntary flu-shot…
Mercy Providence hospital benefit plans as church plans Unknown
A hospital asked whether its retirement and health plans were church plans. EBSA agreed with a favorable IRS private ruling to the extent that each plan’s current structure and operation matched the…
OSHA access to employer voluntary safety audits
An employer association asked OSHA to promise it would not seek voluntary safety-audit documents during inspections. OSHA declined, saying audit information can be necessary to assess hazards and…
Emergency stop button labels and red coloring
OSHA found no general-industry rule requiring “push” on emergency stop button labels. It cited 29 CFR 1910.144(a)(1)(iii), which requires emergency stop bars, buttons, and switches for hazardous…
Storage of corrugated and plastic packaging in a stamping plant Unknown
OSHA found no federal standard limiting quantities of corrugated or returnable plastic packaging for fire protection in the described plant. It identified 29 CFR 1910.176(b) for secure storage,…
Work-related stress and employer knowledge under older recordkeeping guidance Unknown
Under the recordkeeping guidance then in effect, OSHA classified stress from a non-instantaneous exposure as illness and described recording work-related cases. Information received by a…
Eight questions on asbestos presumptions and building-owner duties
OSHA explains that its pre-1981 presumption applies to the part of a building built before 1981; defines presumed asbestos material; discusses feasibility and building-owner duties; and says three…
Belt-mounted filtration device and supplied-air respirator approval
OSHA supported NIOSH concerns about backflow, contamination, pressure loss, and airflow regulation in a device inserted into the respirable air stream. It said new respirator devices and associated…
Asbestos training responsibility for a contract cleaning firm
The owner of a contract cleaning firm must provide and pay for employees’ asbestos training. Construction asbestos rules govern cleaning contaminated areas after asbestos work, while routine…
Flammable atmosphere and monitoring in permit-required confined spaces Unknown
OSHA said the permit-space rule did not prohibit entry above 10% of the lower flammable limit if all requirements were met. Employers must evaluate hazards, select safe entry practices, and…
1996 federal tax amendments affecting unemployment compensation Unknown
ETA described six federal tax changes affecting unemployment programs, including fishing crews, newspaper distributors, H-2A workers, educational assistance, SIMPLE retirement plans, and medical…
Inorganic mercury exposure limit as eight-hour average
OSHA says Table Z-2 incorrectly listed the inorganic mercury limit as a ceiling. It instructs compliance staff to cite mercury overexposure using the eight-hour time-weighted average documented in…
Particulate respirators certified under 42 CFR Part 84
OSHA accepts NIOSH-certified Type 95, 99, and 100 particulate respirators for appropriate workplace use. It identifies N100, R100, and P100 as HEPA-efficiency classes, explains oil resistance, and…
Voluntary workplace violence guidelines and the General Duty Clause Unknown
Responding to senators’ concerns, OSHA said draft late-night retail violence guidelines were advisory and would not be enforced as standards. OSHA said the guidelines created no duties, could not be…
Crystalline silica exposure limit and agency rulemaking plans Unknown
OSHA said it recognized silicosis hazards, planned to review NIOSH’s recommended limit through rulemaking, and had begun a crystalline-silica special emphasis program across affected industries.…
Needle-Eater sharps device and bloodborne pathogens standard
OSHA concluded the reusable transfer container for the Needle-Eater device required opening to add and dump used sharps, while jams could require manual clearing. It said these features fail the…
Video training under the bloodborne pathogens standard
A film or video alone does not satisfy the bloodborne pathogens training requirement, OSHA says. Training must allow interactive questions and answers with a person conducting the session and cover…
Bloodborne pathogen and tuberculosis training in 1996 Unknown
OSHA said its bloodborne pathogens standard had not changed since 1991 and recommended using its February 1996 tuberculosis enforcement directive for training while a proposed tuberculosis standard…
Insurer's employee disability income plan under ERISA Unknown
An insurer asked whether its own unfunded employee disability income program was an ERISA welfare plan. EBSA said benefits could continue after a recipient ceased being an employee, and later…
Asbestos-containing paint removal work classes
OSHA says removal of asbestos-containing paint of ordinary film thickness is Class II asbestos work. Thick, textured paint that resembles troweled or sprayed surfacing material is Class I work.
Corrosive materials and eyewash station proximity Unknown
OSHA defined corrosive materials by their destructive effect on living tissue and cited hazard communication sheets for emergency information. In this archived letter it interpreted “within the work…
Correction to general-industry standards applicable to construction Unknown
OSHA instructed staff not to cite specified electrical safety work-practice paragraphs recodified from 29 CFR 1910.333 and .334 for construction, pointing instead to other construction electrical…
Questions and answers on unemployment benefit time lapse and quality measures Unknown
ETA answered state agency questions about putting new unemployment benefit timeliness and quality measures into operation. Its attached 47-question document covers how to classify first payments,…
Federal income tax withholding from unemployment benefits: procedural Q&A Unknown
ETA sent state unemployment agencies procedural answers on withholding federal income tax from benefits at a claimant's request. The answers address elections, refunds, deposits, reporting,…
Electrical devices and flammable atmospheres in sewers
OSHA explains when non-explosion-proof equipment can be used in sewer permit spaces, including documented atmospheres below 10% of the lower flammable limit. It distinguishes alternate ventilation…
Separate establishment injury logs under older rules Unknown
Under the recordkeeping system then in force, OSHA required one log per establishment, allowed departmental subdivisions that together counted as one log, and rejected regional consolidation across…
Distinguishing work-relief from work-training for unemployment coverage Unknown
ETA explained when services in publicly assisted work-relief and work-training programs may be excluded from state unemployment coverage. Both types must meet criteria about the purpose and nature…
FMLA designation, comp time, and family leave questions
WHD gave brief answers to questions about FMLA designation, public-sector compensatory time, eligible family relationships, and leave shared by spouses. It said employers designate qualifying leave,…
Trust company collective funds with outside adviser Unknown
A trust company asked whether its collective funds qualified for ERISA section 408(b)(8) and PTE 91-38 after appointing an investment adviser. EBSA said the company counted as a bank or trust…
Pole-top rescue training for a second utility worker
OSHA says a second worker need not be a qualified climber or trained in pole-top rescue if the work does not call for that rescue. The ground worker still must know how to obtain timely rescue help…
Safeguards and costs for the 1996 federal new-hire matching pilot Withdrawn
ETA encouraged state unemployment agencies that collected new-hire reports to join a voluntary 1996 federal child-support matching pilot. It said data-sharing arrangements needed confidentiality…
JTPA intertitle transfers of funds Rescinded
ETA explained when local job training areas could transfer 1996 funds among JTPA programs for adults, youth and dislocated workers. The letter required Governor approval, set limits on eligible…
FMLA protections alongside disability rights
WHD responded to concerns about an employee's medical leave and the interaction of FMLA with the Americans with Disabilities Act. It said the two laws can apply at the same time and that an employer…
Disclosure of usual-and-customary medical fee schedule Unknown
A union representative asked whether a health plan had to disclose the schedule of usual and customary fees used to determine claim payments. EBSA said documents containing procedures, formulas, or…
Insulated hand tools in general industry and construction
OSHA said general-industry rule 29 CFR 1910.335(a)(2)(i) required insulated hand tools near exposed energized conductors or circuit parts, while the construction standard then had no equivalent tool…
Harnesses, safety straps, and electric utility fall protection Unknown
OSHA reaffirmed that harnesses and body belts are fall-protection components rather than apparel under the cited electric-power rule. It distinguished dielectric testing for safety straps from body…
Catholic high school retirement and compensation plans Unknown
A Philadelphia Catholic high school asked whether its retirement and flexible compensation plans were church plans. EBSA agreed with an IRS private ruling if the school and plans were structured and…
Temporary-placement-agency workers: final pay timing and wage deductions for employee fault
An attorney for a temporary placement agency asked DLSE to confirm that Labor Code sections 201 and 202's final-pay deadlines applied only when a worker was permanently taken off the agency's…
Restricted-work injury logging under older OSHA guidance Unknown
Under its former injury log rules, OSHA treated normal duties as tasks an employee might be expected to do during the calendar year. A physician restriction affecting those duties made a…
Distance from unprotected construction edges
OSHA said no fixed distance from an unprotected edge automatically removes a fall-protection duty, though trained workers 50 to 100 feet away could present a de minimis condition. It distinguished…
Cumulative trauma case recording under older injury logs Unknown
Under its former OSHA Log 200 guidance, OSHA said a new cumulative trauma case arose when a worker stopped receiving care for 30 days and later returned with similar symptoms. It counted medical…
Crane personnel hoisting while a load is lifted Unknown
OSHA said the construction rule then in force prohibited a crane from hoisting personnel while lifting another load, including use of separate lines. It suggested separate cranes and described a…
Personnel platforms on general-industry overhead cranes Unknown
OSHA said the cited construction crane personnel-platform rule did not itself apply to general-industry sites. It considered full compliance with that rule appropriate protection for employees…
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.