Small Business Administration Disputes Cost, Benefit, Urgency Of OSHA's Ergonomics Regulation

Stuart Flatow
Director of Occupational Safety & Health, ATA
Nov. 4, 1999

As the controversial issue of ergonomics heads toward a showdown in Congress before its adjournment, another government report raises questions about the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's claims, including whether now is the time to regulate ergonomics.

The latest blow to OSHA's effort to issue an ergonomics standard comes from the Small Business Administration's analysis of the standard's costs and benefits.

It states "that the costs of the proposed standard could be anywhere from 2.5 to 15 times higher than those estimated by OSHA." It also says that OSHA's estimate of benefits "may be significantly overstated." The report was especially critical of the proposal's medical removal provision that would require employers to provide full wages and job status for up to six months following a reported musculoskelatal disorder.

"The report clearly shows OSHA is significantly underestimating the negative impact of an ergonomics standard," said Ed Gilroy, ATA Senior Legislative Representative and co-chair of the National Coalition on Ergonomics. "Add this to the report from the Small Business Advocacy Review Panel, which included a representative from OSHA, that recommended the agency slow down its rush to regulate, and you see OSHA as an agency willing to stretch the facts to sell an insupportable position on ergonomics."

The full report may be down loaded from SBA's Web site.