Labor's New Approach On Ergonomics Rule Just What Congress Ordered, Bond Says

4/5/2002

From: Marc Freedman of the Senate Committee on Small Business And Entrepreneurship, 202-224-4086 Web: http://sbc.senate.gov/republican

WASHINGTON, April 5 -- The Department of Labor's announcement that OSHA will combat workplace ergonomic injuries through a new strategy of providing employers guidance, information and assistance, rather than a heavy-handed regulation, is "just what Congress ordered," Senator Kit Bond said today.

Bond, Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, praised Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao and Assistant Secretary, John Henshaw, for having the courage to take a different approach to help businesses protect their employees after Congress invalidated the Clinton Administration's ergonomics rule last March.

"With the demise of the previous ergo regulation, many people assumed that OSHA would embark on a new rulemaking and simply try to do it better. But the Clinton Administration's effort proved that attempting to regulate in this area is so difficult, and that the science supporting it is so weak, a whole different approach is needed to help reduce painful, workplace injuries," Bond said. "I particularly applaud creating an advisory committee for ergonomic research to identify gaps in the scientific research" said Bond.

"The Labor Department's new strategy is a sensible and appropriate approach, particularly for small businesses owners. Guidance will help get the injury rate down further and faster. OSHA will be able to move quicker under a guidelines approach than under regulations. Guidelines can be updated as new information becomes available and the science changes," he added.

"The Department's plan is proactive and gives employers information so that they can prevent injuries before they happen," said Bond. The Clinton ergonomic regulation required an employee to be injured before an employer had to act.

"The Clinton ergonomics regulation was a monument to regulatory excess that would have created endless new and confusing mandates for small businesses. More than six hundred pages in length, it was filled with crushing compliance costs and excessive fines and penalties that would have driven many small firms out of business," Bond concluded.

"I look forward to seeing the material developed by OSHA to assist employers and small businesses, rather than putting them in the gun sights of OSHA inspectors and trial lawyers."