Injury report supports federal standard
The effort to create a federal ergonomic standard got a big boost from a National Academy of Sciences report that concluded that workplace activities such as lifting contribute significantly to muscle and skeleton disorders.
That may not be news to occupational health providers, or the employers paying the bills, but the report may help persuade lawmakers that a federal ergonomics standard is necessary to protect workers.
Past efforts to create an ergonomics standard were soundly defeated by Congress, which threatened to eliminate the budget of the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration if it created a standard requiring employers to reduce ergonomic hazards. Ironically, the report was requested by a group of congressional Republicans who assert that a large portion of supposed workplace injuries are feigned or due to outside influences.
Using the research of 66 scientists, the National Academy of Sciences estimated that injuries related to workplace activities cost up to $20 billion a year. The report concludes that "the positive relationship between the occurrence of musculoskeletal disorders and the conduct of the work is clear" when looking at workplaces that subject people to frequent stresses on the upper body, neck, and back. Preventive efforts can be effective at reducing those injuries, the report says.
A copy of the report is available from the National Academy of Sciences at 2101 Constitution Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20418. Telephone: (202) 334-2000. World Wide Web: http://www.nas.edu. The cost is $14.
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