Copyright 1999 St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Inc.
St.
Louis Post-Dispatch
November 23, 1999, Tuesday, FIVE STAR LIFT
EDITION
SECTION: EDITORIAL, Pg. B14
LENGTH: 429 words
HEADLINE:
MEASURE BENEFITS WORKERS
BODY:
OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY
THE Occupational Safety and Health
Administration's decision to press forward with new regulations on
repetitive stress disorders is good news for American workers. But it comes only
after Republicans failed to pass legislation this year that would block any
regulations until January 2001. That's when a study by the National Academy of
Sciences is expected to be published and a new president, who might not support
regulations, is expected to be inaugurated.
The legislation and its
business backers found champions this summer in Rep. Roy Blunt, R-Springfield,
and Sen. Christopher "Kit" Bond, but the Senate eventually withdrew Mr. Bond's
amendment. Business lobbyists and Mr. Bond claimed that ergonomics -- the study
of how people are affected physically by their environment and how to prevent
injuries -- lacks sufficient scientific evidence to justify upgrades in
furniture and equipment for which businesses will have to pay. The business
lobby would have the public believe that OSHA is working in
partnership with a bunch of quacks who are only out to make money.
This
flies in the face of numerous studies and what millions of American workers
experience every day in their workplaces. Business lobbyists, which have blocked
new regulations for years, make clear that some corporations will oppose any
sort of government safety rules. This is a case in which OSHA
needs to step in.
The proposed regulations emphasize educating employees
on how to spot and prevent problems before they progress to serious
musculoskeletal disorders such as carpal tunnel syndrome, chronic back pain and
tendonitis. They also require companies to take action once an employee reports
a possible injury. Administration officials promise that they will enforce a
flexible standard tailored to individual workplaces.
Many businesses
already fund ergonomics programs, because they understand such an investment is
in their best interest. According to OSHA, 647,000 days of work
a year are lost to repetitive-stress injuries. OSHA estimates
the new rules would prevent 300,000 injuries and save employers $ 9 billion
annually in disability and workers' compensation claims. The greatest opposition
naturally comes from businesses that have done the least to protect their
workers from such injuries and will have to spend the most to improve their
workplaces.
If such companies were really looking at the bottom line,
they would understand that reducing these injuries and complying with the new
rules will cost them less in the long run.
LOAD-DATE:
November 23, 1999 
