Posted: 11.17.2011

A new agreement that's been signed into effect by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) - will give them access to inspecting Wisconsin dairy farms.

Cheryl Skjolass, UW-Extension Farm Safety Specialist, says that right now it appears OSHA will inspect 12 dairies around Wisconsin, looking for hazards dairy employees might be facing.  There will be 3 dairies inspected in each of Wisconsin's 4 regions, according to Skjolass - with names being pulled from Wisconsin's Dairy Licensing list and the states CAFO (Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations) pool.

Skjolass says that there are still a lot of unanswered questions on both sides of this new LEP (local emphasis program).  On December 6th, from 1-3 p.m. - there will be a statewide webinar to try and help dairy farms understand OSHA's expectations on safety.  The webinar will feature Mary Bauer, Compliance Assistance Specialist, OSHA Eau Claire Area Office.  Dairy farms that want to participate can do it from their own home computer - or network in with their local county extension office.

For more details on the OSHA LEP - you can listen to a complete conversation with Cheryl Skjolass and Pam Jahnke here.

You can also register for the Dec. 6th webinar, and find out more details here.

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