OSHA issues interpretation letters clarifying workplace safety rules

December 11, 2025

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration on Wednesday announced that it has issued seven new interpretation letters aimed at clarifying federal workplace safety and health requirements, part of a wider push by the administration to offer more compliance guidance to employers.

The letters, released this week, provide official explanations of how OSHA standards apply in specific workplace situations, ranging from confined-space hazards to recordkeeping obligations. The agency says the move is intended to promote consistency in enforcement and give employers clearer direction amid evolving workplace risks, including those related to COVID-19.

Deputy Labor Secretary Keith Sonderling said in a statement that the guidance reflects employer feedback and is designed to help businesses better understand their obligations. “This effort is a key component of the administration’s strategy to educate the public and empower employers to keep their workers safe,” he said.

Among the issues addressed: whether employers must drain water-filled pipes before repair work in confined spaces; the status of OSHA’s COVID-19 reporting and recordkeeping enforcement; the use of live-streamed training to certify power industrial truck operators; and whether companies can rely on software-generated versions of injury and illness logs in place of OSHA’s Forms 300 and 300A.

Other letters clarify what qualifies as engineering controls under standards for benzene and 1,3-butadiene, how audiometric testing applies to workers with cochlear implants, and whether stairway angles and tread dimensions meet federal requirements.

The interpretations follow the June rollout of OSHA’s opinion letter program, which the agency has billed as a renewed effort to make federal workplace rules more accessible to employers and workers.