| Washington, DC — Southwest Missouri Congressman Roy
Blunt is encouraging employers to take full advantage of a 30
day extension on the comment period for proposed ergonomic rules
from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) on
workplace activities. "Given the complexity of OSHA's
proposal, a thirty day extension is not sufficient, but at least it
gives a chance to put more facts on the table." Blunt and
other Congressional leaders had requested an extension of 30 days
after a National Academy of Sciences Study was completed on
ergonomics next year because of the complexity of the rule and the
impact of the study..
Blunt sponsored the Workplace Preservation Act that passed the
House last July but is still awaiting Senate action. The measure
would prohibit OSHA from implementing new ergonomic rules until a
first-of-its-kind study by the National Academy is completed in
early 2001. The study is looking at the links between work place
environments and repetitive stress injuries.
The federal agency rules can require employers to completely
redesign job procedures, tools, and workspaces where any employee
has a work related injury. OSHA says the rules will cover
approximately 27 million workers and cost U.S. employers over $4
billion. However that number is disputed by a Small Business
Administration study that puts compliance costs for small businesses
at a minimum of $12 billion to as much as $40 billion.
In announcing the extension, Labor Secretary Alexis M Herman
said, ""Although the ergonomics proposal itself is short, there are
many supporting documents, and people want additional time to review
the record." Blunt pointed to the wording of the announcement and
said that it explains the department's perspective on workplace
rules. "The preamble to the rule itself runs over 1000 pages,
it took the department over a year to develop and the department
classifies that as ‘short'. Only in Washington is that
considered ‘short'!"
Blunt says the rule should be based on sound science. When
you are talking about something that can eliminate a persons job,
you'd better know the real facts."
Comments should be mailed to The Honorable Charles Jeffress,
Assistant Secretary, Occupational Safety and Health Administration,
Department of Labor, 200 Constitution Avenue NW, Washington, DC
20210. |
