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."
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