U.S. Chamber Criticizes OSHA Telecommuting Policy

WASHINGTON, DC – The United States Chamber of Commerce denounced OSHA's decision to hold employers responsible for health and safety violations that occur at the homes of their telecommuting employees.

"It's outrageous," said Bruce Josten, Executive Vice President of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. "This runs completely counter to employers' efforts to give workers greater flexibility and counter to the Administration's own emphasis on families.

"Parents of small children, workers with long commutes, elderly and disabled workers have expanded their ability to be productive employees through telecommuting. At-home workers will not welcome government or business inspections of their home work sites," said Josten.

According to the Chamber, OSHA's effort to regulate every worker in every workplace – including the worker's home – is government regulation run amok. Increased worker productivity has driven the current economic expansion and greater worker flexibility has allowed more workers to be more productive. Opening a worker's own front door to government regulation and litigation will dampen employers' enthusiasm for this kind of flexibility.

"OSHA must reconsider this very ill-considered decision," said Josten. "Employers need every possible option to hire and retain workers with unemployment running at historical lows. Employees need a wide variety of options, including telecommuting, to deal with the work and family requirements of the 21st Century."

The United States Chamber of Commerce is the world's largest business federation, representing more than three million businesses and organizations of every size, sector and region.

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