Privacy Policy
Welcome to mass.gov/dols (the web pages hosted at mass.gov/dols) collectively referred to within this Policy as the "Web site", the official Web site of the Massachusetts Department of Labor Standards (DLS). Your privacy is one of our top priorities. The following policy (Policy) applies only to the use of DLS's Web site, which includes on-line submittals. As you navigate the Web site, you will see links that, when clicked, may take you to other Web sites operated by state agencies. You may also see links that will take you to Web sites external to Massachusetts state government. The Web sites for other state agencies and that are external to Massachusetts state government are not governed by this Privacy Policy and may have individual privacy policies tailored to the interactions available through each Web site. DLS strongly suggests that you read the privacy policies and terms of service for each Commonwealth Web site that you access, and any external Web site that you access through a link appearing at this Web site. Occasionally, a web page or pages that is part of this Web site (such as a web-based application that requires you to request a username and password) may specify its own privacy policy or terms of service, and DLS strongly suggests that you read such privacy policies and terms of service.
Privacy Partnership
Your privacy with respect to the use of this Web site results from a partnership between DLS and you, the user. At this Web site, DLS attempts to protect your privacy to the maximum extent possible. However, because the information that DLS receives through this Web site is subject to the Public Records Law, Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 66, Section 10 (including the definition of and exemptions to a public record at Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 4, Section 7(Twenty-sixth)), DLS cannot ensure absolute privacy. Information that you provide to us through this Web site, even personally identifiable information may be made available to members of the public under this law. This Policy informs you of the information that DLS may collect from you at this Web site, how DLS uses it, how secure it is, to whom it may be disseminated, and how you can access it. This Policy also describes our process for making changes to this Policy, provides you with contact information, and defines terms used in this Policy. Based on this information, you can make an informed choice about your use of this Web site and any personally identifiable information you decide to share.
Personally Identifiable Information
DLS uses the term "personally identifiable information" to mean any information that could reasonably be used to identify you, including but not limited to, your name, address, telephone number, e-mail address, Social Security number, birth date, bank account information, credit card information, or any combination of information that could be used to identify you.
In 2008, Executive Order 504 was issued, which enhanced the privacy protection given to any information about you as a named individual held by the Executive Branch of state government. Executive Order 504 limits the collection and dissemination of personally identifiable information within the Executive Branch and requires Executive Branch agencies to greatly enhance the security and integrity of such data. This Web site complies with Executive Order 504, so all of the personally identifiable information that you submit to this Web site is given the privacy protections set forth in Executive Order 504.
Dissemination of Your Personally Identifiable Information
DLS does not sell any personally identifiable information collected through this Web site or submitted to DLS in conjunction with using functions on the Web site, and there is no direct or online public access to the information. However, once you voluntarily submit personally identifiable information to us related to your use of the Web site, its dissemination is governed by the "Public Records Law" (Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 66, Section 10 (including the definition of and exemptions to a public record at Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 4, Section 7(Twenty-sixth)), the "Fair Information Practices Act" (Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 66A), "Executive Order 504" and other applicable laws and regulations. For this reason, part or all of the information you send us may be provided to a member of the public in response to a public records request. There are pieces of information, such as credit card numbers, TIN, username, or password that are not considered public for the purposes of a public records request. For more information on types of data exempted from disclosure under the Public Records Law, please read the Secretary of the Commonwealth's Public Records Law. In addition, the information that you voluntarily submit will be disclosed only to Commonwealth employees or officials (including those at DLS), or those under contract with the Commonwealth, with a "need to know" for purposes of fulfilling their job responsibilities. The information will be used for such purposes as: answering your questions, responding to any requests for assistance, generating summary statistics about usage, auditing applications and detecting fraud, aiding in the planning, design and development of the DLS Web site, and fulfilling DLS's and the Commonwealth's legal obligations. DLS will collect and aggregate the information you provide through surveys and through the Web site's collection of non-personally identifying analytics data for purposes of market research to improve this Web site by making it more responsive to customer needs. Where appropriate, DLS may provide the information you submitted voluntarily through an e-mail to the person or company that is the subject of your inquiry, or to a government agency responsible for the matters referred to in your communication.
Your Access and Opportunity to Correct Personally Identifiable Information
The "Public Records Law" and the "Fair Information Practices Act" provide you certain rights to get information about you that is in our records. To learn more about the circumstances under which you can get and correct this information, please click on the above references to these laws. Your rights under third party products such as Google Analytics and ForeSee are governed by the policies for those products.
Information Voluntarily Provided by You
This Web site collects voluntary information from you through surveys, e-mails, and any comments posted on social media pages hosted by this Web site (such as blogs or wiki). All such information, including comments and E-mails sent by you to this Web site will contain personally identifiable information. Information Automatically Collected and Stored by this Site. This Web site may use "Persistent Cookies" to collect and aggregate data regarding the user's activity on the Web site. Such data enables DLS to evaluate and improve its web-based services. You may elect to disable persistent cookies. Please be advised that disabling persistent cookies may affect your ability to view or interact with some Web sites, including this Web site. The Web site may also use temporary "session cookies" to allow visitors to interact with the Web site and to use online applications. "Session cookies" in and of themselves do not allow us to personally identify a visitor (unless the visitor also authenticates and logs into a portion of the Web site, such as the online Lead and Asbestos (LAA) application that is available at: https://www.mass.gov/dols but does allow us to present material consistently throughout the Web site. These cookies are stored only in memory and are deleted when the user's browser is shut down. Certain
Web-based applications (hosted at www.mass.gov/dols) that are accessible through this Web site may automatically set temporary "session cookies" to facilitate visitors' interactions with the web-based applications. When you visit this Web site, it stores your Internet Protocol ("IP") address (which does not identify you as an individual) for an indefinite period of time, as well as information about the date and time of your visit, whether a file you have requested exists, and how many "bytes" of information were transmitted to you over the Internet from this Web site. DLS uses your IP address to assess the frequency of visits to this Web site and the popularity of its various pages and functions. DLS will not attempt to match any personal information or data that you provide to us with your IP address, unless there are reasonable grounds to believe that doing so would provide information that is relevant and material to a criminal investigation.
Usage Data
Occasionally, DLS may use a tool to collect information about the use of this Web site, such as Google Analytics™. DLS uses this information to improve the way the Web site delivers information to its users. Tools such as Google Analytics may collect information about how often users access this Web site, what pages they access, and what other Web sites they used immediately before coming to this Web site. Google Analytics collects only the IP address assigned to you on the date you access this Web site, rather than your name or other identifying information. DLS does not combine the information collected through the use of Google Analytics with information that may personally identify you. Although Google Analytics plants a persistent cookie on your Web browser to identify you as a unique user the next time you access this Web site, the cookie cannot be shared or used by anyone but Google in accordance with Google's Privacy Policy and Terms of Use, which are available online at http://www.google.com/analytics/tos.html and at http://www.google.com/privacypolicy.html. You can prevent Google Analytics from recognizing you on return visits to this Web site by disabling cookies on your browser. This Web site may also use survey tools such as ForeSee™ provided by ForeSee Results. Tools such as ForeSee collect information that you provide when you participate in surveys posted at this Web site. This information you voluntarily submit may include information such as your name, e-mail address or phone number, so that DLS may contact you to follow up about your question, concern or recommendation. Other than utilizing survey information voluntarily provided by you, we do not combine the information collected through ForeSee's surveys with their information that may personally identify you. ForeSee also collects data such as browser information, operating system, and page views through the implementation of session cookies. Although ForeSee plants a persistent cookie on your web browser that identifies you as a unique user, the data stored by ForeSee Results in connection with the cookie cannot be used by anyone but ForeSee Results. ForeSee Results' ability to use and share the information it collects is restricted by the ForeSee Results' Privacy Policy, which is available online at https://www.foresee.com/privacy-policy/. You can opt out of ForeSee's information collection system by declining to participate in a survey when the invitation pops up on the Web site. When you respond to the invitation by declining to participate, failing to complete a survey or submitting a completed a survey, ForeSee uses a persistent cookie that prevents the survey from appearing on your subsequent visits to this Web site. You can prevent ForeSee from using persistent cookies by disabling cookies on your browser. However, if you do so, ForeSee will not recognize you on return visits and may present the survey to you again.
Security
You should not send messages containing information that you consider highly sensitive. In accordance with Executive Order 504 , DLS uses standard security measures to ensure that information provided by you, including your personally identifiable information, is not lost, misused, altered, or unintentionally destroyed. DLS also uses software to monitor network traffic to identify unauthorized attempts to upload or change information, or otherwise cause damage. This software monitors network traffic (e.g., to identify hacking attempts and other attacks). DLS does not associate any information collected through this means with an individual's computer, except to identify specific computers (or IP addresses) that could be responsible for launching an attack or in connection with authorized law enforcement investigations.
Changes To This Policy
DLS will post any changes to this Policy on the Web site at least 30 days before they take effect. Any information DLS collects under the current Privacy Policy will remain subject to the terms of this Policy. Any new information DLS collects under a changed policy will be subject to that new policy. Contact Information. For questions about your privacy while using this Web site, please contact DLS via e-mail at Lead&AsbestosEnforcement@mass.gov or by phone at 617-626-6960.
Privacy and Related Policies, and The Records Retention Law
DLS is required to preserve records created or received by DLS. Pursuant to this retention requirement, comments posted, or messages received via an official state agency page on a third-party Web site (such as an official agency profile on a micro-blog such as Twitter) will be treated as state governmental records and may be permanently archived. Accordingly, information that you submit through social media sites associated with DLS is covered by the Records Retention Law, available at the Secretary of the Commonwealth's Public Records Division's Web site and may be subject to disclosure if requested under the Public Records Law, Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 66, Section 10 (including the definition of and exemptions to a public record at Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 4, Section 7(Twenty-sixth)).
Unsolicited proposals, or other business ideas or inquiries
These sites are not to be used for contracting or commercial business, submission of any claim, demand, or any other form of legal and/or administrative notice or process, or any documents used to bring a claim in any criminal or civil litigation.
Reports of illegal activity
If you have information for law enforcement, please contact your local police agency. To report an environmental violation, please contact the DLS Environmental Strike Force.
Removal of Comments
DLS will remove comments posted to DLS's Web Site or social media sites that: contain personally identifiable information regarding a 3rd party, contain obscene, indecent, or profane language; contain harassment, threats or defamatory statements; contain hate speech involving race, color, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, ethnicity, age, religion, or disability; are obvious spam; or promote or endorse services or products. (Note that non-commercial links that are relevant to the topic or another comment are acceptable.) Furthermore, for the benefit of robust discussion appropriate for social media, it is within DLS's discretion to remove comments that: address subjects that are off-topic for the particular page or medium on which they were posted. To ensure that your comments on other topics reach the right program for follow-up and response, please contact the appropriate DLS program directly or call DLS at 617-292-5500.
User Agree to These Terms
By using these sites, you agree to these terms and conditions. Please note that these terms supplement the Mass.Gov Terms of Use as well as additional terms of use that may apply to other Web-based transactions accessible from DLS sites. You should also review the DLS Privacy Policy and the Mass.Gov Privacy Policy to learn about what information is collected, what it is used for, and how it may be shared. We also suggest that you review the relevant policies for third-party sites used by DLS for communicating via social media. These sites are governed by separate policies.. For your convenience, DLS links to external Internet sites that are not provided or maintained by the DLS. Please note that DLS cannot guarantee the accuracy, relevance, timeliness, or completeness of these external sites. While DLS primarily links to other government and non-profit sites, the inclusion of links is not intended to endorse any views expressed, or products or services offered, on these sites, or the organizations sponsoring the sites. In particular, please note that DLS uses various social media tools. Although some of the social media sites or identities might appear to be part of the DLS site, many are hosted by third party providers. Please review our Social Media Usage and Policies for more information on the terms that apply for each of these sites. Public Record and Copyright. All of the material posted on DLS's Web site and accessible to the public without use of an authenticating and authorizing mechanism (such as a "PIN" or password) is public record. Most of the public record posted on DLS and any of the Commonwealth Web sites can be copied and used for any purpose. For example, all judicial opinions and all laws and regulations are public record. However, some of the public record posted on the Commonwealth's Web sites is also copyrighted material (for example, regulations based on technical codes developed and copyrighted by private organizations). With respect to DLS, some material on the site may be copyrighted (including, but not limited to, photographs taken by third parties) and this material is subject to the same requirements as set forth in Mass.Gov's Terms of Use. Specifically, "with respect to material copyrighted by the Commonwealth, including the design, layout, and other features of Mass.Gov, the Commonwealth forbids any copying or use other than "fair use" under the Copyright Act. "Fair use" includes activities such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, research, and other related activities. In addition, please be advised that Mass.Gov makes use of materials (including, but not limited to, photographs) in which third parties hold the copyright, which also cannot be copied or used for use other than "fair use" without permission of the copyright owner. If you want to make use other than "fair use" of any copyrighted information on this Web site, you must seek permission directly from the copyright owner." The part of our sites to which the copyright rules stated above do not apply is on social media pages that receive comment. Content on these pages is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License. Content includes all materials posted by DLS. In addition, visitors to these pages agree to grant a non-exclusive, irrevocable, royalty-free license to the rest of the world for their submissions to this site under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License. A copy of this license is available online at http://creativecommons.org/licenses. DLS respects the intellectual property of others, and we ask users of our sites to do the same. In accordance with the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) and other applicable law, we reserve the right to terminate, in appropriate circumstances and at our sole discretion, users, subscribers, or account holders on our sites who are deemed to be repeat infringers. We may also, at our sole discretion, limit access to our sites and/or terminate the accounts of any users who infringe any intellectual property rights of others, whether or not there is any repeat infringement.
Notice and Procedure for Notifying Designated Agent of Claims of Copyright Infringement.
If you believe that any material on DLS's sites infringes upon any copyright which you own or control, or that any link on these sites directs users to another site that contains material that infringes upon any copyright which you own or control, you may file a notification of such infringement with our Designated Agent as set forth below. Notifications of claimed copyright infringement must be sent to DLS's Designated Agent for notice of claims of copyright infringement. Our Designated Agent may be reached by emailing Kellie.Ingram@state.ma.us.
No warranty, endorsement or liability
DLS makes no warranty that the materials contained on the sites are free from copyright claims, or other restrictions or limitations on free use or display. DLS disclaims any liability for the improper or incorrect use of information obtained from these sites. With respect to DLS, any references to commercial entities, products, services, or other nongovernmental organizations or individuals that remain on the sites are provided solely for the information of individuals using the sites and are not intended to reflect the opinion of the Administration, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts or its officers and employees concerning the significance, priority, or importance to be given to any referenced entity, product, service, or organization. Such references are not an official or personal endorsement of any product, person, or service, and may not be quoted or reproduced for the purpose of stating or implying official endorsement or approval of any product, person, or service. DLS does not guarantee or warrant that any information posted by individuals on the sites is correct and disclaims any liability for any loss or damage resulting from reliance on any such information. DLS may not be able to verify, does not warrant or guarantee, and assumes no liability for anything posted on any of DLS's sites by any other person. The views expressed on these sites by non-state commentators do not necessarily reflect the official views of the DLS.
No Waiver:Laws, Regulations and Policies Take Precedence
The content published on these sites is subordinate to and is not to be interpreted as an amendment to or waiver of the Federal and State laws, regulations and policies applicable to the matters addressed in the sites' content.
DOLS Online Filing Terms of Use
For users filing their lead and asbestos applications, licenses and other information online with the DLS LAA system, please see the DLS LAA Online Filing Terms of Use.