July 27, 2001—In testimony presented at the US Department of Labor’s Public Forum about ergonomics held at George Mason University in Virginia, American Society of Safety Engineers President M.E. Eddie Greer provided recommendations that should be addressed when developing a federal ergonomic standard, if a decision is made to move forward with one.
Greer recommended that if an ergonomic standard is developed it should: 1) be performance based and not use a one-size-fits-all approach to ergonomics; 2) require an ergonomic evaluation and be performed by a person competent in ergonomic-related issues; 3) have the issue of a trigger mechanism be part of the public debate, as the goal of any DOL/OSHA standard is to prevent injury, illness, and fatality, and not allow an incident to take place before eliminating hazards; 4) emphasize improvement versus overly detailed specifications; and 5) be created through private-public sector partnerships, such as the negotiated rulemaking process or the multiple stakeholders input process as exemplified by metalworking fluids or the proposed silica rulemaking.
For more information and a copy of Greer’s complete statement, contact ASSE at 847/768-3413.
