The U.S. Department of Labor posts a substantial amount of guidance for employers on its web site.

This is the current list of topics on which the Agency provides free compliance information:

  • Drug-Free Workplace Advisor
  • Family & Medical Leave Act (FMLA) Advisor
  • Federal Contractor Compliance Advisor
  • FirstStep Employment Law Advisor
  • FLSA Child Labor Rules Advisor
  • FLSA Coverage & Employment Status Advisor
  • FLSA Hours Worked Advisor
  • FLSA Overtime Security Advisor
  • FLSA Section 14 (c) Advisor (Special Minimum Wage)
  • Health Benefits Advisor
  • MSHA Online Forms Advisor
  • MSHA Training Plan Advisor
  • MSHA Fire Suppression & Fire Protection Advisor
  • OSHA Confined Spaces Advisor
  • OSHA Fire Safety Advisor
  • OSHA Hazard Awareness Advisor
  • OSHA Lead in Construction Advisor
  • OSHA Software Expert Advisors
  • Poster Advisor
  • Small Business Retirement Savings Advisor
  • Uniformed Services Employment & Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA) Advisor
  • Veterans’ Preference Advisor
  • e-VETS Resource Advisor

To give an idea of the scope of information in the Department’s pages, here is the preliminary statement from the recently added Health Benefits Advisor for Employers: “This Health Benefits Advisor provides employers with an overview of certain federal laws that can affect health benefit coverage provided by group health plans. The requirements described in this Advisor generally apply to group health plans and group health insurance issuers….” And here is the preliminary statement from the FirstStep Employment Law Advisor: “The FirstStep Employment Law Advisor is designed to help employers determine which laws administered by the Department of Labor (DOL) apply to their business or organization and to provide links to information about how to comply with these laws.”

Additionally, the Department publishes an online Employment Law Guide, which describes laws, regulations, and technical services available to employers.

These services are limited to areas regulated by the Department of Labor under federal law. There is no information about areas regulated by other agencies, other federal laws, or any state laws. Additionally, the Agency information is oriented to the area of law, not to the workplace dilemma, so it might be difficult to find the right web page if one is unsure what specific laws are implicated. Even so, the web site is a valuable and convenient addition to the resources available to employers with compliance questions.