- Some farmers aren't protected by OSHA.the farmer image by Louise McGilviray from Fotolia.com
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration was created in 1970 to protect American employees from harm and danger in the workplace. OSHA covers more than 90 percent of the U.S. workforce, either through its federal programs or through state programs which have been reviewed and approved by OSHA. However, there are certain groups of employees who do not receive OSHA protection. - People who are self-employed and do not have any staff members working for them are exempt from OSHA regulations. If a person owns his own business and hires an employee, that employee is protected by OSHA, and the business owner must then comply with OSHA standards for his type of industry.
- While there are stringent stipulations and regulations for most agricultural employees, some aren't covered at all by OSHA. If there is a family farm which employs only immediate family members, it is not regulated by OSHA. The description of immediate family has been argued in court, and is generally accepted to mean the spouse, child, sibling or parent of the owner.
- Some federal agencies place more stringent and specific regulations on their industry than OSHA, and are therefore held to those higher standards instead of OSHA regulations. The Mine Safety and Health Administration, the Federal Aviation Administration and the Coast Guard are three examples of agencies which regulate their industries' safety apart from OSHA.
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