NEW OSHA LEP Resources

By this time most dairy producers are familiar with OSHA, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, but do you know what LEP stands for? LEP is the Local Emphasis Program, which was officially announced for New York State on October 1st, 2013, and will most likely begin sometime around July 2014. Farms that fit at least one or both of the following definitions could be subject to an LEP inspection:
? Farms that have had more than 10 total employees, not including immediate family members, at any time in the past 12 months preceding the day an inspector shows up (1 part time employee is equal to 1 full-time employee); and/or
? Farms that have provided housing on the farm to temporary labor at any time in the past 12 months preceding the day an inspector shows up, even if the housing was only for just one person.
(Don?t forget that any farm that fits these definitions could also be inspected by OSHA if there is an accident on the farm or if OSHA receives a complaint about the farm.)

This information comes from a new page on the New York Center for Agricultural Medicine and Health?s (NYCAMH?s) website: http://www.nycamh.com/osha-ny-dairy-lep/. NYCAMH is now part of the OSHA Work Group that was formed in fall 2013, including Cornell PRO-DAIRY, Northeast Dairy Producers Association (NEDPA), New York Farm Bureau, and Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE). This page has many resources and lots of information to help the dairy farm owner/manager learn how to prepare for a possible OSHA inspection.

If you have been lax in your on-farm preparation for the OSHA LEP, the first resource on this site to take a look at is the New York OSHA Regional Notice. This notice comes from the regional OSHA office in Syracuse, though the LEP will also involve the Buffalo and Albany OSHA offices.
Once you have a handle on what the LEP looks like, take a look at the OSHA LEP Training Binder. This resource guides you through the ?OSHA Dairy Dozen,? or the twelve areas that OSHA will focus on in their inspections. For each area you will find guidance documents, training requirements, resources and required documentation.

Next, put your farm to the test by conducting a self-audit, using the Farm Safety Checklist. This will help you to target areas on your farm that need some work.

Do you know when you need to report accidents to OSHA? The OSHA Record Keeping Standard explains what is required of all industries (orally reporting the death of an employee from a work-related incident within eight hours), and the additional recordkeeping regulations that required of farmers. This includes maintaining records of all serious occupational injuries and illnesses.

Last but not least is the Safety Training Roster, which you can use for any on-farm training. If you need to purchase safety equipment for employees, such as gloves, glasses, or PTO shields, take a look at the PPE Online Catalogue.

Though I?ve yet to talk to a dairy producer excited about tackling the challenge of getting their farm into compliance with OSHA, it should really be a priority. Being proactive could potentially save you thousands in fines, while also granting you peace of mind in knowing that your employees are working in a safe environment.