To balance worker health concerns with business and consumer economic concerns, Sen. John Breaux (D-La.) introduced a bipartisan bill (S. 598) in late March to address ergonomic injuries in the workplace. The legislation requires the Labor Department to “address work-related musculoskeletal disorders and workplace ergonomics hazards” within two years, and would not apply to disorders that occur outside work or were simply aggravated by work. The legislation also would require that any new federal labor rule clearly define under what circumstances an employer is required to address ergonomic hazards and what standards will be used to measure the employers’ performance.
The bill also would prohibit any new rule from expanding existing state workers’ compensation laws, and would provide information, training materials, and outreach programs to help both employers and employees comply with the new rule.
Click here for the bill in PDF format.
