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Senate bill would require new ergonomics standard
The Occupational Safety and Health Administra-tion (OSHA) would be required to produce a new, more workable ergonomics standard within two years under legislation introduced by Sens. John Breaux (D-LA) and Arlen Specter (R-PA).
The bill specifies that the standard must cover only musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) that are related to work and requires OSHA to state clearly what actions employers must take to comply. It also emphasizes a preventive approach.
In the prior ergonomics standard, MSD injuries triggered the measures that employers were required to take to reduce hazards. Congress repealed the standard in March 2001 under the Congressional Review Act. Since the act specifically prohibits an agency from creating a new regulation "in substantially the same form," the Breaux/Spector bill gives OSHA the express authority to develop a standard.
No similar legislation has been introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives. In April, Labor Secretary Elaine Chao announced a "comprehensive plan" to address ergonomics that relies on voluntary, industry-specific guidelines and selected enforcement under OSHA’s "general duty" clause that requires employers to maintain a workplace free of recognized, serious hazards.
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