Guidance Search
The Department of Labor provides this guidance search tool as a single, searchable location where users may search for guidance issued by any of the Department’s agencies, including significant guidance documents under Executive Order 12866. Individual guidance documents are maintained on the various agency websites, and if you know what agency you are looking for, you may also find guidance by navigating directly to that agency’s website. The Code of Federal Regulations and the Federal Register, which are not maintained by the Department, also include some of the Department’s interpretations of law and similar material.
The Department and its agencies issue guidance to provide clarifying information and technical assistance to the public on existing statutory and regulatory rights and obligations, inform the regulated community about best practices, and provide other useful information. The contents of these documents do not have the force and effect of law and are not meant to bind the public in any way, except as authorized by law or incorporated into a contract, cooperative agreement, or grant.
Members of the public may petition the Department to modify or withdraw specific guidance documents. To petition for a significant guidance document to be created, modified, reconsidered, or rescinded, email the Department of Labor.
Petitions to Modify or Withdraw a DOL guidance document may also be submitted by mail at the address below. Petitions should identify the specific guidance document by name and include your reason(s) for requesting withdrawal or modification.
U.S. Department of Labor
Office of the Executive Secretariat
200 Constitution Ave NW
Washington, DC 20210
Search Tips
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Modifying a ladder for loads in excess of manufacturer's rated capacity. - [1926.1053(a)(1)(i); 1926.1053(a)(1)(ii)]
The wearing of steel-toe shoes by electrical tradesmen. - [1910.136(b); 1926.96]
Pulmonary function testing training requirements and spirometer transmission of disease. - [1910.134; 1910.134(c)(1)(ii); 1910.134(e); 1910.1001; 1910.1001(l)(1)(ii)(B); 1910.1028; 1910.1030(a); 1910.1043; 1910.1048]
Whether an off-site HAZMAT emergency response team may be permitted to all areas of a hazardous waste site in an emergency response action. - [1910.120]
Variance Informational Handout. - [1905.10; 1905.11]
Strength of scaffold planking. - [1926.451]
This letter provides guidance on SCA Contractors obligations to continue paying medical insurance premiums during FMLA leave periods.
Applicability of the Machine Guarding and Lockout/Tagout standards to printing presses. - [1910.147; 1910.212; 1910.219]
Labeling requirements of hazardous chemicals. - [1910.1200]
Black liquor recovery boilers, associated oil (or gas) auxiliary fuel burner systems and PSM. - [1910.119]
Sweeper/scrubber equipment is not considered a powered industrial truck. - [1910.178]
The exemption for seamen in section 13(b)(6) may apply to cooks and stewards performing their normal duties aboard a vessel provided the employees do not spend more than 20 percent of their time in a workweek performing work of a nature other than that which characterizes the services of a seaman.
Deadlines for completion of process hazard analysis. - [1910.119]
Industries involved in peanut production. - [1910.272]
Use of a powered industrial truck to dump hexamine into a hopper of a bucket elevator. - [1910.178]
Coverage of Ear Piercing. - [1910.1030]
Refresher training requirements. - [1910.119]
Addresses several questions on the application of the fiduciary responsibility provisions of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) to the termination and proposed transfer of the excess funds of one employee welfare benefit plan to another employee welfare benefit plan where both plans are jointly-administered, labor management trust funds established under collective bargaining agreements pursuant to section 302(c) of the Labor Management Relations Act.
Whether the Western Growers Assurance Trust (WGAT) is a multiple employer welfare arrangement (MEWA) within the meaning of section 3(40) of Title I of ERISA and therefore subject under section 514(b)(6) of that title to applicable state insurance regulation.
Exposure of trainers and team physicians to body fluids. - [1910.1030]
Standpipe and hose systems. - [1910.156; 1910.158]
Interpretation of coverage for the telecommunications industry with regard to the new Permit-Required Confined Spaces standard. - [1910.5; 1910.146; 1910.268]
OSHA authority over injuries to the public. - [1975.3]
Addresses questions on the application of the fiduciary responsibility provisions of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) to the termination and transfer of excess funds of the Alaska Laborers-Employers Legal Services Fund to the Alaska Laborers & Construction Industry Health & Security Fund where both are jointly-administered, labor management trust funds established under collective bargaining agreements.
Addresses questions on the application of the fiduciary responsibility provisions of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) to the termination and proposed transfer of the excess funds of one employee welfare benefit plan to a related employee welfare benefit plan where both are jointly-administered, labor-management trust funds established under collective bargaining agreements pursuant to section 302(c) of the Labor Management Relations Act.
Fire extinguisher requirements of Hazard Communication Standard. - [1910.1200]
Attendance outside of regular work hours at specialized training which is required for certification of employees of a government jurisdiction ty law of a higher level of government does not constitute compensable hours of work under 553.226(b)(2).
Hazardous substances found in veterinary practices. - [1910.1200]
Clarification of paragraphs (c)(5) and (c)(7) of the Permit-Required Confined Spaces standard. - [1910.146]
MSDS requirements. - [1910.1200]
Whether the assets of a trust established by an employer to set aside a portion of its general assets as a potential source of premium payments for health insurance held by an ERISA plan would constitute assets of the plan.
Fumigants used to control insects in food plants. - [1910.119]
Dental workers exposed to disinfectants as part of decontamination. - [1910.1030]
Toenail particles do not qualify as regulated waste. - [1910.1030]
HHC's as it applies to flammable liquid stored at a worksite. - [1910.119]
Retract-A-Matic 6 Lifeline as it applies to personal fall arrest system. - [1910.66 App C]
Whether Prohibited Transaction Exemption 77-4 (PTE 77-4) applies to the proposed purchase and sale of shares of the PNC Serviced Funds by Plans for which PNC serves as fiduciary, without the waiver or credit of fees for Secondary Services paid to PNC Group by the PNC Group Serviced Funds.
The application of Prohibited Transaction Exemption 77-4 (PTE 77-4) regarding the Frank Russell Trust Company and its affiliates. Specifically, whether Frank Russell Investment Management Company’s waiver of the investment advisory fee, otherwise payable by the Plans to Frank Russell Group in connection with the investment of plan assets in the Funds, complies with the requirements of paragraph (c) of section II of PTE 77-4. Whether paragraphs (d), (e) and (f) of section II of PTE 77-4 require written disclosure and approval of fees paid to parties unrelated to Frank Russell Investment Management Company, or any affiliate, with respect to the investment of plan assets in the Funds. Whether PTE 77-4 provides relief for the purchase or sale of shares of the Funds subsequent to the approval by a Plan fiduciary, independent of and unrelated to Frank Russell Trust Company, of a program for the purchase or sale of shares in the Funds, without prior approval of each such purchase or sale by the independent Plan fiduciary.
Wood dust sampling. - [1910.1000]
NRTL accreditation of an existing approved lab and a lab with which it has merged. - [1910.7]
Clarification on first aid requirements for hazardous waste sites. - [1910.120; 1910.120(e)(3)(ii); 1910.120(l)(2)(viii); 1910.151; 1910.151(b); 1910.1030]
Machine guarding requirements as it applies to centrifuges. - [1910.212]
Cleaning of police uniforms as specified by bloodborne pathogens standard. - [1910.1030]
Labeling of products currently under FDA review. - [1910.1030]
Portable firefighting equipment. - [1926.150]
Toilets are not required at construction jobsites if transportation is readily available to nearby facilities. - [1926]
Training requirements for emergency and post-emergency response to marine-based oil spills. - [1910.120(a)(3); 1910.120(q)(6)(iii); 1910.120(q)(6)]
Tabletop centrifuges designed for use in physician offices and laboratories. - [1910.212]
Interlock requirements for centrifuges. - [1910.212]
Propane as a fuel for ovens; Chlorine storage exceeding 1500 pounds. - [1910.119]
Respiratory protection as it relates to oil fields. - [1910.134]
Albumin Human USP and the standard. - [1910.1030]
Use of overhead bridge and gantry cranes as work platforms. - [1910.179]
Whether the Associated Builders and Contractors, Inc. of Michigan Employee Benefit Plan would be "fully insured" within the meaning of section 514(b)(6)(D) of ERISA if the Associated Builders and Contractors, Inc. of Michigan enters into a proposed contractual arrangement with First Security Health and Life Assurance Company with respect to payment of benefits under the Plan.
Frame grounding of arc welding machines. - [1926.351]
Discusses MSPA housing requirements for workers "camping on the land" - important guidance that is also contained in FOH 57
Meeting labeling requirements of hazard communication standard for slag wool. - [1910.1200(f)]
OSHA jurisdiction over employees working in an Indian reservation clinic. - [1975.4(b)(3)]
Variance request on conditions surrounding a citation under litigation. - [1926.556]
Health and safety plans for hazardous waste operations & emergency response. - [1910.120]
Request for approval of guardrail system. - [1926.500]
Construction industry general duty clause, and the bloodborne pathogens standard. - [1910.1030]
Whether the Fleming Employees' Supplemental Disability Plan, established by a group of employees of Fleming Foods Companies, Inc. to provide disability benefits that would supplement disability benefits provided by Fleming to its employees through a disability insurance program, is an employee welfare benefit plan within the meaning of section 3(1) of Title I of ERISA.
Whether a proposed group health program that would provide accident, medical, surgical and dental benefits to employees of the Coordination Council for North American Affairs resident in the United States, who would include Republic of China (Taiwan) nationals, United States nationals, and individuals maintaining both Republic of China and United States citizenship, would be an employee welfare benefit plan covered by Title I of ERISA.
Examines the criteria contained in 785.27 to determine whether all four conditions are met. Since the purpose of the program is career development in another skill rather than to enhance the officer's performance in his present job, the interview by the officer during off-duty hours is noncompensable under the FLSA.
The compensability of on-call time for firefighters may well turn on the frequency of emergency calls. If calls to duty are so frequent that employees cannot use their off-duty time effectively for their own benefit, the entire on-call period would be compensable.
Discusses whether county employees can volunteer to perform the same job they are paid to do; Public agencies
A primary duty involving the basic tasks of the business, or "production" work rather than the management policies of the business is non-exempt work which does not qualify for the exemption as a bona fide administrative employee.
Examines the potential joint employment relationships between court reporters and elected trial judges and attorneys by analyzing the criteria in the common law economic realities test.
Distance reinforcing steel can protrude before guarding is required. - [1926.701]
Use of compressed air when cleaning arsenic and lead contaminated surfaces. - [1910.1018(k)(2); 1910.1025(h)(2)]
Rulings or requirements for employees in the electrical trade to wear steel-toe shoes. - [1910.333]
Use of temporary vertical ladders. - [1926.1053(b)(5)(i)]
Hazardous waste operations and emergency response lapsed refresher training requirements. - [1910.120]
Iron oxides as used in pigment coloring operations. - [1910.1200(d)(1)]
Exposures to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB's) in lighting equipment. - [1910.1000]
Navy gas free engineering program and related failure to abate citation. - [1915.7; 1915.14]
Whether the reimbursement of Allied-Signal Inc. (ASI) by the ASI- sponsored Master Trust Plans for the direct expenses incurred by ASI in providing investment management services to such plans would not constitute a prohibited transaction under section 406 of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) and section 4975 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986.
President Clinton revoked former President Bush's revocation of DBA.
Extra compensation besides the salary for nonexempt undercover work would not, by itself, defeat an otherwise applicable exemption. Were the employee to spend considerable amounts of time in nonexempt undercover work, the primary duty test may not be met for the exemption.
Whether Section 5 of Puerto Rico Act No. 17 of April 17, 1931, as amended, (P.R. Act 17) is preempted under section 514(a) of Title I of ERISA to the extent Section 5 prohibits payroll deductions for the purposes of funding employee benefit plans covered by Title I of ERISA.
Whether Pittsburgh Mercy Health System, Inc. employee benefit plans constitute church plans within the meaning of section 3(33) of Title I of ERISA and, accordingly, whether they are excluded from the requirements of Title I of ERISA by section 4(b)(2) thereof.
Whether certain employee benefit plans for individuals whose employment is with the Georgia Baptist Medical Center, NewtonHouse Nursing Home, and Harvest Heights Nursing Home, which are collectively known as the Georgia Baptist Health Care System, constitute church plans within the meaning of section 3(33) of Title I of ERISA, and, accordingly, whether the plans may be excluded from the requirements of Title I of ERISA by section 4(b)(2).
Whether the State of New Jersey may interpret section 514(a) of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) to permit it to apply its laws to an employee benefit plan until the plan obtains an advisory opinion from the Department of Labor that establishes that section 514(a) preempts the operation of the state law with respect to the plan.
Clarification on training for firefighters and HAZWOPER. - [1910.120]
Inert gas as it applies to the hazard communication standard. - [1926.59 ]
Ethylene oxide tank changing operations. - [1910.1047]
Housing on floating fish processors and barges. - [1910.142]
Public sector firefighters, under 7(k), perform "...activities which are required for, and directly concerned with the prevention, control, or extinguishment of fires". These arson investigators do not qualify for the 7k exemption because their duties are not consistent with §553.210(a).
MSDS requirements for salt. - [1910.1200(g)]
OSHA's position regarding compensating time spent taking employer-sponsored medical exams. - [1910.151]
Plywood as a substitute for meeting the standard. - [1926.652]
This letter responds to the request of using polygraph examination to curtail government corruption and of being admissible in court.
Acceptability of X-ray film size 16" X 17". - [1910.1027(l)(4)(ii)(C); 1926.1127(l)(4)(ii)(C); 1910.1018(n)(2)(ii)(A); 1910.1029(j)(2)(ii); 1910.1045(n)(2)(iii)]
American Dental Association "Checklist". - [1910.1030]
Bracing of masonry block walls. - [1926.706]
Ground fault protection for a construction job-site trailer. - [1926.404(b)(1)(i)]
Sterilization of spirometry tubing. - [1910.1030]
Protective footwear requirements for inorganic arsenic and lead. - [1910.1018; 1910.1025]
Blasting operations within completely contained vessel and sunup/sun own requirements. - [1926.900]
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