Chamber Urges Consideration of New Ergo Study

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The United States Chamber of Commerce urged Congress and the incoming Bush Administration to delay enforcement of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's far-reaching ergonomics rule, while today's National Academy of Sciences study and other relevant evidence on the causes of ergo injuries is considered.

"It's up to Congress and the Administration to put the brakes on a regulatory juggernaut and bring an element of common sense to an out of control rulemaking," said Randel Johnson, Chamber vice president for labor policy. "Delaying enforcement of the ergo rule – to allow a full review of the NAS study – and reopening the rulemaking process, should be a first order of business for the White House and the Congress after the Inauguration."

The NAS study, scheduled for release tomorrow, reportedly recognizes that the causes of ergo injuries – or musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) – are complex and the solutions are equally uncertain. Without scientifically established standards, OSHA inspectors will have virtually unlimited discretion to impose penalties and costly abatement methods on even the best-intentioned employers. The rule will cost employers billions and billions of dollars without any assurance of benefits to workers.

"OSHA rushed the rulemaking process to preempt the NAS study and the Bush administration," said Johnson. "The rule is a gross disservice to workers, employers, and the public at large. Lawyers will get rich, millions in fees will be paid, productive investments will be put off, and the workplace will be no safer."

The Chamber has filed suit in federal court, charging the ergo rule is incomprehensible and unconstitutional. The Chamber is joined in its lawsuit by the Labor Policy Association (LPA), the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) and the National Beer Wholesalers Association.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is the world's largest business federation representing more than three million businesses and organizations of every size, sector and region.

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