OSHA Unveils Ergonomics Plan

The Clinton administration got to the finish line first in the race to see if it could issue an ergonomics proposal before congressional Republicans passed a bill blocking it.

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At a Nov. 22 news conference in Washington, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration unveiled its long-awaited and controversial ergonomics plan, which the agency expects to prevent 300,000 workplace injuries and save $9 billion in worker’s compensation and other costs every year.

"We are compelled to act," said Charles N. Jeffress, assistant labor secretary for occupational safety and health. "Employees are getting hurt. People are suffering."

The proposal would require businesses to develop ergonomics programs for all manufacturing and manual lift-ing jobs as well as for jobs where a musculoskeletal disorder had been reported.

In addition, it mandates 90% of pay and 100% of benefits for workers who need time off the job to recover from such disorders. Workers transferred to light-duty jobs would receive full pay and benefits.

OSHA puts the cost to employers of complying with the rule at $4.2 billion a year. However, the business com-munity, represented on this issue by the National Coalition on Ergonomics, expects the price tag to be much higher.

Industry groups, including American Trucking Associations, oppose the proposal and lobbied for legislation to block its publication. The Senate version of a bill to do just that failed to make it to the floor before the end of the latest session.