03/ 27/ 2002
If you've been dreading the untold hours you'll spend reading through the seemingly endless Department of Labor (DOL) material to find out what health, hazard, wage and retirement regulations pertain to your business, this site (http://www.dol.gov/elaws) will allow you to breathe a sigh of relief. In today's Workshop, contributor Jeffrey Moses continues last week's discussion on the topic with a walk-through of the site.
The site's homepage presents a column of buttons on the left, each addressing a specific topic. The left-hand buttons include:
1. Retirement and Health Benefits Standards-- Provides suggestions about the most appropriate options on retirement savings for small businesses. The Department of Labor's Pension and Welfare Benefits Administration (PWBA) developed the Small Business Retirement Savings Advisor to answer a variety of commonly asked questions about retirement savings options for small business employers and help them determine which program is most appropriate for their business. The section also provides a PWBA, a savings program comparison chart and a review of the necessary forms to sign up for a retirement savings program. If you keep clicking the "continue" button at the bottom of the following pages, you will be led to a quiz that helps target your company's specific retirement benefit needs. As mentioned in last week's Workshop, after completing the ten to 20 minute quiz, you will receive a report that addresses the needs of your business, based on the specific answers you provided.
2. Safety and Health Standards-- Includes information on the following subjects:
- MSHA Contractor ID Request Advisor
- MSHA Fire Suppression and Fire Protection Advisor
- Quarterly Mine Employment and Coal
- MSHA Legal Identity Advisor Form 2000-7
- MSHA Training Plan Advisor - Version 1
- MSHA Training Plan Advisor Version 2 - Parts 46, 48, 75 & 77
- OSHA Confined Spaces Advisor
- OSHA Fire Safety Advisor
- OSHA Hazard Awareness Advisor
- OSHA Software (providing these and more advisors as downloadable software, on asbestos, lead and other topics)
3. Wage, Hour and Other Workplace Standards-- Includes information on the following subjects:
- Drug-Free Workplace Advisor
- Workplace Act of 1988
- FMLA Advisor (The Family and Medical Leave Act)
- OFCCP Advisor (The Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs)
- Poster Advisor
- USERRA Advisor (The Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act) Veterans' Preference Advisor
The Web site provides additional tools, including a keyword search that allows you to search the site for specific topics. Small business owners should visit the site to examine some of its features and to learn valuable information. The Web site's information, especially the quizzes, could save you hours of research when trying to determine all aspects of your regulatory compliance.
