Copyright 2000 Globe Newspaper Company
The Boston
Globe
December 8, 2000, Friday ,THIRD EDITION
SECTION: LETTERS; Pg. A22
LENGTH: 276 words
HEADLINE:
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR;
REPETITIVE MOTION INJURIES
BODY:
THE GLOBE'S NOV. 14 EDITORIAL, "BETTER TWIST
ON HEALTH," SUPPORTING NEW RULES ISSUED BY THE FEDERAL OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND
HEALTH ADMINISTRATION TO COVER WORKERS WITH REPETITIVE MOTION INJURIES FAILED TO
CONSIDER SEVERAL TROUBLING ASPECTS OF THE NEW RULE.
First, the rule
reaches beyond the workplace and makes employers liable for injuries that may
not be caused by the workplace. More important, the rule overrides existing
workers' compensation laws and creates a most-favored-injury standard for
ergonomic injuries. In effect, the new regulation will federalize a large
portion of the workers' compensation system, establishing a national system of
compensation benefits that will supersede state compensation laws for a broad
spectrum of injuries in business constituting most of the nation's economy.
Employers recognize that their employees are their
greatest assets. That's why the great majority of employers, without an
OSHA-mandated ergonomics regulation, have safety and health
programs in place at their facilities to help them control and abate
ergonomic-related injuries. As a result, the American workplace is safer today
than it has ever been, with declines in all major types of injuries since 1992,
including a 30 percent drop in workdays lost to carpal tunnel syndrome.
It is our position that ergonomic regulations must be
based on sound scientific understanding of the disorders, preserve the integrity
of existing workers' compensation system, and reflect a sustainable policy
agreement between Congress and the executive branch.
RICHARD C. LORD
President and CEO Associated Industries of Massachusetts Boston
LOAD-DATE: December 8, 2000 
