In a letter to leaders of U.S. Senate and House of Representatives committees that oversee agricultural legislation, ASSP expressed its opposition to the inclusion of Section 9131 in the House Farm Bill (H.R. 2). The Society is concerned the legislation would compromise OSHA's Process Safety Management standard. 

"We take this position because the proposed language broadens the 'retail exemption' from this standard to a wide array of facilities in scores of industries using any of 140 highly hazardous chemicals," ASSP explained. "Our concern is this would be done without a risk assessment or regard to the risk to workers or the public."

ASSP is specifically concerned with language in the proposed bill directing the secretary of labor to adopt by a rule a definition of a retail facility that exempts any facility that sells more than 50% of its output to an end user. ASSP believes this would create a large loophole "through which chemical manufacturers could become retail establishments by virtue of whom they sell their products to, thus compromising safety."

Read our letter.