April 26, 2002—Senator John Breaux (D-La.) recently introduced a new, bipartisan bill to address ergonomic injuries in the workplace.
Sen. Breaux said his revised ergonomics legislation, co-sponsored by Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) and 22 other senators, requires the U.S. Department of Labor to reissue a rule to address work-related musculoskeletal disorders and workplace ergonomics hazards within two years, and would not apply to disorders that are not related to work.
“This two-year implementation period comes at the end of two decades of the federal government identifying an ergonomics problem, but creating no national policy to correct it,” Sen. Breaux said, noting only technical changes differentiate this bill from one he offered last year. “I believe a federal regulation is not only warranted, but it is the only way to ensure our nation’s ergonomics problems are addressed.”
The legislation also would require 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.
Sen. Breaux said the Bush Administration’s ergonomics plan “appears to be well-thought out, addressing research, compliance and outreach, but the enforcement component of its approach is too weak and unacceptable.”
Sen. Breaux voted against a Clinton Administration rule on ergonomics that he believed was too broad, confusing and pre-empted state worker compensation laws. For more information, contact the Senate Web site.
