February 14, 2003—OSHA Administrator John Henshaw challenged the 15-member National Advisory Committee on Ergonomics (NACE) at its first meeting, to help the Occupational Safety and Health Administration achieve its goal of reducing musculoskeletal injuries in the workplace.
The committee was selected by Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao in December 2002 and is tasked with advising her and the Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA (Henshaw) on ergonomic guidelines, research, outreach, and assistance. Chartered for two years, the committee met for the first time January 22.
“We want you to help us reduce the best available science to practice,” Henshaw said. “We need strategies that a plant manager, a front-line supervisor, or a small business owner can readily adopt and use right now to prevent musculoskeletal disorders and help workers immediately.” Henshaw continued, “Innovation is key in our push to drive down musculosketal disorders. Practical applications are how we can make innovative approaches work for us.”
Discussion among committee members centered on task-specific guidelines, research needs and efforts, and outreach and assistance methods to communicate the value of ergonomics.
OSHA four-pronged approach to reduce ergonomic injuries, announced April 2002, includes guidelines, research, outreach and assistance, and enforcement. Since April, three industries—nursing homes, retail grocery stories, and poultry processing—have stepped forward to work with the agency to create the first sets of guidelines.
