The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued seven letters of interpretation the week of December 8, 2025, as part of the Trump administration’s renewed opinion-letter program. While interpretation letters do not create new obligations, they illuminate how OSHA reads and enforces existing standards in real-world scenarios. For employers, these letters can be the difference between a defensible compliance approach and one that invites citations. This article explains the new interpretations, the practical impacts across industries, and highlights key compliance takeaways.
