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.

Filters


Date Title Standard Number
Backhoe barricading standards. 1926.550(a)(9)
Definition of liquid as applicable to 1926.152. 1910.106(a)(18), 1910.178, 1926.155, 1910.106(a)(19)
Replacement tips for torches used in welding operations. 1910.252
The required working clearance around electrical equipment on cranes. 1910.179
Construction of guardrails. 1926.451(d)(10)
Request for clarification on ground fault circuit interrupters on portable generators forwarded to the national office. 1926.400(b)
The wearing of hard hats. 1910.135, 1910.132, 1926.100
Allowable TLV of coke gases at the breathing levels of the employees. 1926.700, 1926.55(a), 1926.154
The requirement that Republic Steel Corporation employees wear "Sankey" guards for foot protection. 1910.217
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)
Wheel locks on rolling scaffold. 1926.451
The discharge from exits in the Blackwill Burner Company plant. 1910.36, 1910.36(c)(1), 1910.36(c)(2)
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