April 12, 2002—Following OSHAs new plan on ergonomics announced April 5, the American Society of Safety Engineers’ (ASSE) President Eddie Greer, CSP, said, “We have been on record in calling for the need for a reasonable, workable ergonomics standard focused on the particular problems faced by workers in different industries and work settings, from the factory floor to the growing percentage of American workers in offices.
“However, while ASSE is pleased that the federal government sees the need to be proactive in this area, we believe there is still a strong need to continue to explore regulatory approaches to this issue,” Greer continued. “Our concern is that, without a standard in place, the guidelines may result in interpretations that can only be addressed through the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission and litigation.
“Given the ongoing efforts that will be required to complete OSHA’s plan, safety professionals will look toward the voluntary consensus standards process to help benchmark OSHA’s activities,” Greer continued. “In that process, stakeholders can come together under the auspices of the American National Standards Institute Z365 Standards Committee to adopt private sector standards that safety professionals, employers and workers can look to for guidance in providing safe and reasonable solutions to ergonomic issues in the workplace.”
For more information, contact ASSE.
