Ergonomics Standard Stalled
The Senate and House Appropriations Subcommittees with jurisdiction over labor spending passed a fiscal 1998 Labor Department appropriations bill that includes an ergonomics rider. The rider prohibits the Occupational Safety and Health Administration from issuing a proposed or final standard on ergonomics for one year, but it allows OSHA to develop guidelines that cannot be used in enforcement.
OSHA's "ergonomics team" is in the process of holding stakeholder meetings to discuss ergonomics and proposed elements of a standard. Despite the legislative restriction, OSHA is preparing a standard that will be issued after the one-year restriction expires.