Small Business Gets Preview Of OSHA's Ergonomics Proposal

Owners of small businesses had sharp words for the early version of an ergonomics regulation that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration is trying to place on the books.

Federal officials heard from businessmen who had problems and some potential solutions for the draft regulation, which industry analysis suggests would cost trucking $6.5 billion in annual compliance costs.

OSHA said it welcomed the constructive criticism and will take the recommendations into account as it develops its rule. But the agency showed no signs of turning back despite protests from industry and Congress that it should wait for a federal study on the issue.

Review by the panel representing small businesses is one of the first items on a lengthy checklist of steps OSHA in the regulatory process. The agency doesn't expect to put a standard out for public comment until September, and a final rule isn't planned until the end of 2000.

Getting an ergonomics regulation has been on OSHA's worker safety priority list for many years, but the agency has been stymied by industry opposition and congressional bans.

Ergonomics is the study of the work environment and how people physically perform their jobs. Injuries related to ergonomics are varied but most are said to result from repeated motions, awkward positions or heavy-lifting. OSHA estimates that such injuries account for more than $20 billion in workers' compensation payments and as much as $80 billion more in indirect costs.

OSHA has specifically targeted trucking in its decade-long attack on ergonomics, said Stuart Flatow, director of occupational safety for American Trucking Associations. He also said the steps OSHA wants to take would strangle the industry.

For the full story, see the May 17 print edition of Transport Topics. Subscribe today.