U.S. Chamber Declares Victory Over Home Office Inspections

Labor Department Reverses Position on Telecommuting

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The United States Chamber of Commerce cheered the Clinton Administration's abrupt reversal of its policy that employers are responsible for the safety of home offices, in the face of determined opposition from the Chamber and members of Congress.

"Twenty million American telecommuters can work without fear of intrusive government regulation or employer inspections," said Bruce Josten, Executive Vice President of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. "The Labor Department made the right choice in the end by reversing their earlier interpretation that employers were responsible for safety regulations in workers' private homes."

At a time when companies are trying to provide maximum flexibility to employees, the Chamber argued, the government's original decision was regulation run amuck. Parents of small children, workers with long commutes, elderly and disabled workers have expanded their productivity through telecommuting. Requiring home inspections and opening employers to huge, new employment liabilities would have curtailed the growing telecommuting trend.

"It's a rare, but welcome, event when government regulators realize they have overstepped the bounds of reason," said Josten. "The Chamber will continue to closely monitor OSHA's activities."

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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