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Repetitive strain injuries (RSIs) and back injuries are disabling and expensive. Each year, RSIs force more than 600,000 workers to lose time from their jobs, making them the nation's biggest job safety problem. They account for one-third of all serious injuries and cost billions of dollars. Final Ergonomics Standard: A Victory for Workers! After 10 long years of struggle, workers in this country finally have won protections to prevent crippling repetitive strain injuries, the nation's biggest job safety problem. On Nov. 13, OSHA issued its final ergonomics standard, which will prevent hundreds of thousands of injuries each year. The final standard requires employers to implement ergonomics programs and fix jobs where musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) occur. While not as strong as the union movement had sought—since it does not require action until workers are injured and fails to cover all workers—the rule is a huge step forward and will bring about major improvements in workplace safety. The promulgation of this new workplace protection is a major victory for workers, the union movement and safety and health activists. For years, Big Business groups and anti-worker members of Congress have waged a relentless campaign to block the ergonomics standard. But the battle over the ergonomics standard is not over, as business groups and their allies in Congress are expected to continue their efforts to kill the worker safety rules. Opponents of the new safety standard are expected to continue their legislative fight and already have begun their legal fight in the courts.
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