Employment Law Guide: Laws, Regulations, and Technical Assistance Services (Department
of Labor)
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Employment Law Guide
This Guide describes the statutes and regulations administered by the Department
of Labor (DOL) that affect businesses and workers. The Guide is designed
mainly for those needing "hands-on" information to develop wage, benefit, safety
and health, and nondiscrimination policies for businesses in general industry.
Read the overview first to find out which requirements apply to your business. For
each requirement, the overview provides a link to the related chapter in the Guide
and to the relevant Department of Labor agency. Employers in certain industries
(for instance, agriculture) will be advised to contact specific offices of the Department
of Labor for further information.
Each chapter lists the telephone number of the Department of Labor agency that administers
the laws and regulations addressed in that chapter. If you have any difficulty contacting
a DOL agency (for instance, due to a telephone number that has been changed), or
if you need referral information on any topic within DOL's purview, call the Department's
toll-free service at 1-866-4-USA-DOL.
The Employment Law Guide is offered as a public resource. It does not create new
legal obligations and it is not a substitute for the U.S. Code, Federal Register,
and Code of Federal Regulations as the official sources of applicable law. Every
effort has been made to ensure that the information provided is complete and accurate
as of the time of publication and this will continue. Later versions of this Guide
will be offered at www.dol.gov/compliance or by calling our toll-free service at
the number noted above.
Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act of 1996
You should also be aware that the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness
Act of 1996 (SBREFA) places obligations on federal agencies and provides rights
to small businesses. The Department of Labor's Office of Small Business Programs
oversees the Department's SBREFA activities. You may also obtain information on
SBREFA from the Small Business Administration (SBA).
Under SBREFA, the SBA has established an SBA Ombudsman and SBA Regional Fairness
Boards. If you wish to comment directly to SBA on the enforcement actions of any
Department of Labor agency, call 1-888-734-3247. You also may call your local DOL Regional
Office or the Department of Labor's Office of Small Business Programs at 202-693-6460.
Other Information for Employers and Employees
By itself or with other agencies, the Department of Labor administers several employment
programs to assist both employees and employers. In particular, One-Stop Career
Centers established under the Workforce Investment Act offer a variety of services
for individuals seeking employment, as well as resources for employers seeking workers.
Also, employers and employees may wish to explore the Work Opportunity Tax Credit
(WOTC) and the Welfare-to-Work tax credits. These credits can assist employers in
their efforts to hire eligible low-income individuals.
Finally, employees who lose their jobs due to changes in business conditions in
general may wish to file for unemployment insurance benefits, which are administered
by the various States with assistance from the Department of Labor. Employees who
lose their jobs due to increased imports from, or shifts in production to, foreign
countries may be eligible for assistance under the Trade Adjustment Act program.
Further information about all of these programs and provisions can be found on the
Employment and Training Administration's
Web site.
Contents
Preface
Overview
I. Wages and Hours Worked
II. Safety and Health Standards
III. Health Benefits, Retirement Standards, and Workers' Compensation
IV. Other Workplace Standards
V. Work Authorization for non-U.S. citizens
VI. Federal Contracts: Working Conditions
VII. Federal Contracts: Equal Opportunity in Employment
INDEX OF LAWS OF PARTICULAR APPLICABILITY TO AN INDUSTRY
Agriculture
Note: Under the authority of the Occupational Safety and
Health Act, OSHA has issued a number of safety standards that address such
matters as field sanitation, overhead protection for operators of agricultural
tractors, grain handling facilities, and guarding of farm field equipment and
cotton gins. Contact the local
OSHA office for more detail (1-800-321-OSHA).
Mining
Construction
Note: Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act, OSHA sets and enforces
construction safety and health standards. Contact the
local OSHA office for more information (1-800-321-OSHA).