Ergonomics Rule Due in September

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration apparently will publish its proposal for ergonomics regulations next September.

Earlier, OSHA had said the proposal would be out next summer, but a Department of Labor regulatory agenda published in the Nov. 9 Federal Register was the first indication of the specific month the administration is aiming for.

According to the agenda, OSHA is still considering which industries will be covered and whether the rules will be implemented with a phase-in approach.

Critics, such as the National Coalition on Ergonomics, have charged that OSHA’s attempts to prevent musculoskeletal disorders will create a costly standard that lacks the scientific basis to ensure it will be effective.

OSHA said it "believes that the scientific evidence supports the need for a standard and that the availability of effective and reasonable means to control these hazards has been demonstrated."

iting a report that 34% of all lost workdays are caused by musculoskelatal disorders, OSHA placed the development of ergonomics standards as one of its top 10 priorities.

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