By: Valerie Butera
In a recently updated directive to Regional Administrators and State Plan Designees from Dr. David Michaels, Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA, the categories of small businesses exempt from programmed health and safety inspections changed.
This exemption applies to workplaces with 10 or fewer workers who perform work in industries OSHA deems low hazard. OSHA identifies low hazard industries by studying the most recent results of mandatory surveys sent to employers in countless industries by the Bureau of Labor Statistics which collect information about how often employees were unable to perform their normal job duties because of workplace injuries or illnesses. Those industries with the lowest numbers are included in the list.
The change to the list became effective on January 29, 2016, and will remain in effect until updated, which typically happens at the beginning of each year.
Newly Exempt Industries
There are over 400 industries included in the list of exempt small businesses. Among the industries newly exempt from inspections are:
Electrical contractors and wiring installation contractors
Soybean and other oilseed processing
Inorganic chemical manufacturing
A number of retail industries including boat dealers, motorcycle dealers, floor covering stores, electronics stores, meat markets, fish and seafood markets, tobacco stores and vending machines
Farm product warehousing and storing
Residential and Nonresidential property managers
Marinas
Full-service restaurants, cafeterias, buffets and snack bars
Industries No Longer Exempt
Many of the industries deemed exempt in the last revision of this list no longer enjoy an exemption from inspections. A sampling of the industries no longer included in the list includes:
Heavy and civil engineering construction
See the rest of the story here: http://www.oshalawupdate.com/2016/02/25/osha-quietly-changes-the-group-of-small-businesses-exempt-from-inspections/
Source: OSHA Law Update – Epstein, Becker, Green
EHS Safety News America 