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.

NOTICE:

How to Request a Letter of Interpretation

Filters


Date Title Standard Number
Presence sensing devices used to actuate mechanical power presses. 1910.217
Shell-to-shell spacing requirement for above ground storage tanks is under review. 1910.106(b)(2)(ii)(b)
OSHA's authority to take photographs during the course of an inspection. 1903.7
Fire wall requirements. 1910.106
Guardrails on outside crane platforms. 1926.550(a)(13)(ii)
Point of Operation Guarding, As Applied To The Dvorak Model 314 Iron Worker. 1910.212
Guarding requirements for radial saws. 1910.213(h)(1)
The discharge from exits in the Blackwill Burner Company plant. 1910.36, 1910.36(c)(1), 1910.36(c)(2)
Wheel locks on rolling scaffold. 1926.451
A safety sleeve designed for guarding projecting shaft ends and a clarification of the term "safety sleeve". 1910.219
Structural steel angles for cleats on fixed ladders. 1910.27
Guarding of Farm Field Equipment, Farmstead Equipment, and Cotton Gins. 1928.21, 1928.57
The wearing of personal protective equipment. 1910.132
The issuance of a Program Directive to clarify the applicability fo OSHA standards. 1910.106
Testing of the WindGard. 1910.135
A request that the Automatic Nailing Machine be listed in 1910.217. 1910.217
Barricading Swing Radius of Backhoes. 1926.550, 1926.602
Information about outdoor wearing apparel to be provided by the employer. 1910.132
It is acceptable to use material other than fiber rope for boatswain's chairs. 1910.28(j)(2)
Clarification of a regulated area for battery type coke ovens 1910.1029(d)(2)(i)