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Johanns demands OSHA stop harassing small farms
Nebraska U.S. Senator Mike Johanns is demanding that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) stop harassing small, family-run farms.
Since 1976, Congress has included language in appropriations bills prohibiting OSHA enforcement actions against farmers with ten or fewer employees. But Johanns says the agency recently violated that rule when it assessed a 132-thousand dollar fine against a Holt County, Nebraska farm—a farm with only one non-family employee—for grain bin safety violations.
“OSHA accused the farmer of willful violations. Let me give you a couple of examples—failure to conduct atmospheric tests in a grain bin and failure to wear OSHA-approved gear when entering a grain bin, just to name a few,” Johanns says. “You can’t make this stuff up—I kid you not.”
Johanns says that no injuries were involved in the Nebraska case and he accuses OSHA of “making up its own rules” by claiming that grain bins are not part of the “farming operation”.
“OSHA’s claim that the storage of grain is not part of farming is absolutely incredible—it’s absurd,” he says. “It’s also a blatant overreach in violation of the law.”
Speaking Wednesday on the Senate floor, Johanns said he will ask Labor Secretary Thomas Perez to direct OSHA to cease all actions contrary to Congressional direction with regards to regulating family-owned farms with less than ten employees.
AUDIO: Johanns’ comments on Senate floor (7:20 MP3)
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osha like other agencies have too much power and want more even if it breaks the law..this administration
is about breaking the law.
If there was a fine in there on polluting ,that effects others but if it about self safety and they have that exemption then I agrree that that is over extending there power and need to stop. But I still feel things that effect the public and the envirerment needs to be monitor even small farms