WORKING AT HOME: AGAIN, OSHA JUMPS OFF THE DIVING BOARD WITHOUT CHECKING FOR WATER

Will the Occupational Safety and Health Administration expand its mission to regulate home workplaces?

Recently OSHA released a federal interpretation letter saying companies' normal workplace safety obligations also apply to employees who do their work at home. A barrage of criticism followed, and Labor Secretary Alexis Herman withdrew the letter, saying it was not an official policy statement. But the seed has been planted. Herman plans to convene a task force to study the issue.

The criticism over working at home is well deserved. Where does OSHA get off? It's one thing to ensure safety at the workplace. But an employee who chooses to work at home takes on the responsibility of a safe work environment.

If OSHA were to pursue such regulations, it would literally squelch people working at home. In this digital age, there's a real boom for telecommuting. Nearly 20 million Americans, or one-tenth of the work force, work at home at least once a month. But if employers were responsible for lighting, stairs and even the ergonomics of chairs and keyboards, it would prove a logistical nightmare. Companies would have little choice but to nix telecommuting all together. It's already too much of a hassle for businesses to meet the growing government red tape at the office. Companies that did allow telecommuting would have to make up the costs somewhere. Consumers would end up footing the bill.

Some people think this push may be OSHA's way to court the unions. It's hard to unionize people who never show up to the office. This is certainly a sorry way to build support either for OSHA or unions.

OSHA should retreat from this idea posthaste without a task force or additional comment. Home offices are small enough. There's no room for Uncle Sam looking over a worker's shoulder at home.