House votes to delay OSHA ergonomics
By Staff -- Modern Materials Handling, 9/1/1999
On August 4, 1999, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to delay the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's (OSHA) ergonomics rulemaking activities until a study by the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) is complete. The issue still needs to be addressed by the Senate, and if it passes there, would need to be signed by the President before it would take effect.The NAS research will be completed by 2001; OSHA won't finalize its standard until 2000.
In June the Committee on Education and the Workforce voted to require OSHA to delay publication of the standard. Secretary of Labor Alexis M. Herman will urge the President to veto the bill if Congress votes to pass it. It is estimated that more than one million additional workers will suffer painful, preventable injuries and illnesses and the U.S. economy will lose $100 billion before the ergonomics standard is finalized.
However, the move by the house to delay development of the OSHA standard may not reflect what others are thinking. According to a survey on the www.ergoweb.com Web site, as of August 11, 1999, 77% of those surveyed thought that OSHA should generate a workplace ergonomics standard. Approximately 71% agreed that OSHA should not wait for completion of the NAS study.
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