The House of Representatives joined the Senate in overturning the Ergonomics Program Standard, which became law Jan. 16, 2001. The Congressional votes were split along party lines, with only six Democrats joining the Republicans in the Senate. The repeal will now go to President Bush, who is expected to sign it.
The repeal comes as good news for several business groups, including the National Association of Manufacturers and the US Chamber of Commerce, which have staunchly opposed the ergonomics rules. They argue it would cost businesses as much as $100 billion to comply. The repeal is bad news, though, for organized labor, which supported the rules saying that they would force business to focus on reducing musculoskeletal disorders, the most common injuries affecting American workers today.
In order to repeal the rules, the Senate invoked the Congressional Review Act (CRA), passed in 1996, which allows for an expedited repeal of new regulation with just ten hours of debate and without allowing amendments or filibuster. Ergonomics advocates are concerned that using the CRA to repeal the rules will prohibit the Department of Labor from issuing new ergonomics rules unless Congress first gives a go-ahead. However, Labor Secretary Elaine Chow issued a statement saying she might issue new rules that address the criticisms many have with the current regulations.
For more information, contact the US Congress or the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
Based on reports from the Associated Press and Reuters
