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September 25, 2008    DOL Home > Compliance Assistance > By Law > CWHSSA   

The Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act (CWHSSA)



OVERVIEW

The Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act (CWHSSA) applies to federal service contracts and federal and federally assisted construction contracts over $100,000. It requires contractors and subcontractors on covered contracts to pay laborers and mechanics employed in the performance of the contracts one and one-half times their basic rate of pay for all hours worked over 40 in a workweek. This Act also prohibits unsanitary, hazardous, or dangerous working conditions on federal and federally financed and assisted contruction projects.

The Wage and Hour Division (WHD) of the Employment Standards Administration (ESA) within the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) enforces the compensation requirements of this Act, while DOL's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) enforces the safety and health requirements.

COMPLIANCE ASSISTANCE MATERIALS

BASIC INFORMATION

FACT SHEETS

RECORDKEEPING

Depending on the type of federal procurement contract involved, the recordkeeping requirements the Copeland Act or the McNamara-O'Hara Service Contract Act apply to contracts subject to the Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act (CWHSSA).

APPLICABLE LAWS AND REGULATIONS

  • Title I - Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act
  • 29 CFR Part 4 - Regulations describing the labor standards for federal service contracts.
  • 29 CFR Part 6 - Regulations describing the Rules of Practice for administrative proceedings enforcing labor standards in federal and federally assisted construction contracts and federal service contracts.
  • 29 CFR Part 8 - Regulations describing practice before the Administrative Review Board with regard to federal service contracts.
  • 29 CFR Part 5 - Regulations regarding the labor standards provisions applicable to contracts covering federally financed and assisted construction, as well as the labor standards applicable to nonconstruction contracts subject to the Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act.
  • The Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Act of 1970 (PDF)
  • 29 CFR Parts 70 to 240 - Regulations issued by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) that cover a broad array of subjects, including procedures for state agreements; standards applicable to specific industries, such as shipyards, marine terminals, and agriculture; recording and reporting occupational injuries and illness; safety standards; health standards; and criteria for assessment of penalties.

RELATED TOPICS AND LINKS

DOL CONTACTS*

  • Employment Standards Administration (ESA)
    Wage and Hour Division
    200 Constitution Avenue, NW
    Room S-3502
    Washington, DC 20210
    Contact WHD
    Tel: 1-866-4USWAGE (1-866-487-9243)
    TTY: 1-877-889-5627
    Local Offices

  • Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
    200 Constitution Avenue, NW
    Washington, DC 20210
    Contact OSHA
    Tel.: 1-800-321-OSHA (1-800-321-6742)
    TTY: 1-877-889-5627
    Local Offices

  • For questions on other DOL laws,
    please call DOL's Toll-Free Help Line at 1-866-4-USA-DOL. Live assistance is available in English and Spanish, Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time. Additional service is available in more than 140 languages through a translation service. Tel: 1-866-4-USA-DOL
    TTY: 1-877-889-5627

*Pursuant to the U.S. Department of Labor's Confidentiality Protocol for Compliance Assistance Inquiries, information provided by a telephone caller will be kept confidential within the bounds of the law. Compliance assistance inquiries will not trigger an inspection, audit, investigation, etc.



Phone Numbers