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Parent Category: Safety Info Posts

Category: Chemical Process Safety (PSM/RMP)

Published: 10 June 2016

The Committee recommends $552,787,000 for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration [OSHA], which is responsible for enforcing the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 in the Nation’s workplaces. The Committee continues bill language to allow OSHA to retain course tuition and fees for training institute courses used for occupational safety and health training and education activities in the private sector. The cap established by the bill is $499,000, the same as current law.  The bill retains language that continues to exempt farms employing 10 or fewer people from the provisions of the act with the exception of those farms having a temporary labor camp. The bill also retains language exempting small firms in industry classifications having a lost workday injury rate less than the national average from generally scheduled safety inspections.  The exemption of small farming operations from OSHA regulation has been in place since 1976. OSHA clarified the limits of its authority to conduct enforcement on small farms in July 2014, particularly regarding post-harvest activities of a farming operation. The continued exemption for small farms and recognition of limits of the OSHA regulatory authority are critical for family farms. It is also important the Department of Agriculture is consulted in any future attempts by OSHA to redefine or modify any aspect of the small farm exemption.

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