July 10, 2002—The Democrat-controlled Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions approved on June 20, an ergonomics bill (S. 2184) sponsored by Senators John Breaux (D-LA) and Arlen Specter (R-PA) that would force the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to set a new ergonomics standard, covering all industries, within two years of the bill’s enactment.
The bill, intended to prevent workplace musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs), differs from the Clinton Administration plan in that it does not apply to injuries not related to work; it clarifies for employers when they are required to take action, what action must be taken, and when the employer is in compliance; and it prohibits expansion of state worker compensation laws.
The next step for the legislation is a vote by the full Senate, then on to the Republican-controlled House. If the measure is passed by the House, President Bush would most likely veto it, according to Industrial Safety & Hygiene News, as he favors a voluntary guidelines approach.
The National Academy of Sciences estimates that musculoskeletal disorders cost $50 billion a year with employers paying $15 to $18 billion in workers’ compensation costs. About one million workers each year lose time from work because of musculoskeletal disorders.
