Letters of Interpretation | Occupational Safety and Health Administration

Letters of Interpretation

OSHA requirements are set by statute, standards, and regulations. Our interpretation letters explain these requirements and how they apply to particular circumstances, but they cannot create additional employer obligations. Each letter constitutes OSHA's interpretation of the requirements discussed.

Note that our enforcement guidance may be affected by changes to OSHA rules. Also, from time to time we update our guidance in response to new information.

These letters of interpretation and the standards they address may not apply to OSHA State Plans. State Plans are required to have standards and enforcement programs that are at least as effective as OSHA's and may have different or additional requirements. Please see OSHA-approved State Plans for more information.

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How to Request a Letter of Interpretation

Date	Title	Standard Number	Standard Number
11/03/2023	Retention of atmospheric monitoring records for a permit-required confined space	10	1910.146, 1910.146(d)(5), 1910.146(d)(14), 1910.146(e)(6), 1910.1020, 1910.1020(b)(1), 1910.1020(c)(5), 1910.1020(c)(13), 1910.1020(d)(1), 1910.1020(d)(1)(ii)
10/03/2023	Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution Standard	3	1910.140(c)(4), 1910.269, 1910.269(r)(7)(i)
09/22/2023	Respirable Crystalline Silica Focused Inspection Initiative in the Engineered Stone Fabrication and Installation Industries	2	1910.1053, 1926.1153
09/19/2023	Powered Industrial Trucks	2	1910.178, 1910.178(a)(1)
09/11/2023	Imminent Danger	1	1903.13
08/16/2023	Minimum approach distance (MAD)	3	1910.137(b), 1910.269(l)(3)(iii), 1910.269(l)(5)(ii)
07/27/2023	Group Lockout/Tagout	1	1910.147(f)(3)
07/24/2023	Confined Space Entry Permits	1	1910.146(d)
06/23/2023	Clarification on terms used in OSHA's PSM standard	1	1910.119
06/15/2023	OSHA posters and other government labor law posters on top of one another on a wall mounted hanger	1	1903.2(a)(1)
05/31/2023	Clarifications for breathing air quality and use	6	1910.134, 1910.134(d)(1)(ii), 1910.134(i), 1910.134(i)(1)(ii), 1910.134(i)(4)(iii), 1910.134(i)(5)(ii)
05/17/2023	Determining if injuries or illnesses are work-related as a result of an act of violence	2	1904 - Table of Contents, 1904.5
05/08/2023	Guards for Belt and Shaft Drives on Blow Motors	3	1910.212, 1910.219, 1910.219(e)(1)(i)
05/03/2023	Exclusion of arsenic-treated wood from OSHA's Inorganic Arsenic standard	5	1910.1018, 1910.1018(a), 1910.1200, 1926.1118, 1926.1126
04/19/2023	OSHA policy for laboratory analysis of wall deposits on the inside of an air sample cassette	1	1910.1020(c)(5)(i)
03/29/2023	Application of OSHA standards when an employer is using the "Focused Electrode Leak Locator" (FELL)	7	1910.302, 1910.303, 1910.307(c)(1), 1910.307(c)(2), 1910.307(c)(3), 1910.399, 1910.146
03/06/2023	The use of noise-canceling headphones in place of intra-aural earplugs	4	1910.95, 1910.95 App B, 1926.52, 1926.101
02/23/2023	Frequency of refresher training for first aid and CPR	12	1910.146(k)(2)(iii), 1910.151, 1910.151(b), 1910.266(i)(7), 1910.269(b)(1), 1910.410(a)(3), 1915.87, 1915.87(c)(5), 1926.50, 1926.50(c), 1926.951, 1926.968
02/08/2023	Is a single-handed scalpel blade removal device an engineering control under the Bloodborne Pathogens standard?	7	1910.1030, 1910.1030(b), 1910.1030(c)(1)(ii)(B), 1910.1030(d)(2)(i), 1910.1030(d)(2)(vii), 1910.1030(d)(2)(vii)(A), 1910.1030(d)(2)(vii)(B)
12/01/2022	Applicability of the HCS to Lithium Ion Batteries	7	1910.1200, 1910.1200(b)(1), 1910.1200(b)(5)(v), 1910.1200(b)(6)(v), 1910.1200(b)(6)(ix), 1910.1200(c), 1910.1200(d)(1)