WASHINGTON – Sen. Chuck Grassley joined 42 other senators in requesting the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to stop what they call unlawful regulations on small family farms.
In a statement, Grassley said that since 1976, Congress has exempted small, family-run farms with 10 or fewer employees from OSHA regulations. However, in a 2011 memo, OSHA asserted that on-farm grain storage and handling was not part of farm operations. By viewing grain storage as distinct from the farming operation, the senators’ request said OSHA is creating an artificial distinction that would subject virtually every farm to OSHA regulations without allowing for congressional review and public comment, and in defiance of the law.
“OSHA is overstepping its bounds here,” Grassley said. “Grain storage is an essential part of farming. The federal government is expanding its reach to include farms that should be exempt, and is doing so despite the clear intent of Congress.”
The request from senators was made in a letter to Department of Labor Secretary Thomas Perez, who oversees OSHA, as well as to OSHA, asking that OSHA update guidance correcting its misinterpretation of the law.
A copy of the signed letter can be found here.
