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From: James August
Subject: President McEntee's Statement on OSHA's Proposed
Ergonomics
Standard
Date: Mon, 22 Nov 1999 13:10:24 -0500
Statement by AFSCME President Gerald W. McEntee
on Proposed OSHA Ergonomics Regulation
Washington, DC -- When the ergonomics regulation that OSHA
has
proposed today becomes the law of the land, millions of workers
will be
spared the pain, disability and ruined careers that result
from back
injuries and other repetitive strain injuries. AFSCME has
been waiting
for this moment for a decade, and we welcome and support
OSHA's
initiative to protect workers from the leading cause of serious
workplace
injuries today.
We finally won the battle to stop Congress from blocking
OSHA
from moving forward with a regulation to protect workers
from ergonomic
injuries. Now we intend to win the war in the upcoming OSHA
rulemaking
to make sure the final standard provides the protection that
all workers
need and deserve.
OSHA's ergonomics proposal is a good start and a critically
important step in the right direction. However, we do have
concerns that
OSHA's proposal does not go far enough and does not cover
all workers who
need these types of protections. For many occupations, the
rule would
only take effect after workers are injured.
Even with a high degree of underreporting, there are over
600,000 injuries related to poor ergonomics recorded in this
country each year,
and the national costs of these injuries has been estimated
to be as high
as $20 billion annually.
AFSCME members who work in nursing homes and other health
care
settings have the highest rate of back injuries as the result
of moving
and lifting patients. Computer operators suffer from carpal
tunnel
syndrome and other pain in their arms, shoulders and necks.
Repetitive
strain injuries also occur among school bus drivers, equipment
operators,
laborers, maintenance and custodial staff, and among AFSCME
members in
many other occupations. All workers who must lift heavy loads,
work in
awkward positions, be subjected to heavy vibration or perform
repetitive
motions hour after hour are at risk.
We know what causes these injuries. We also know how to prevent
them. Ergonomics means changing the way work is done to take
the strain
off of workers' bodies. Equipment for handling patients,
properly
designed computer stations, and adequate staffing policies
are just a few
examples of solutions that have been proven effective in
reducing these
types of injuries.
Therefore, AFSCME will actively participate in OSHA's rulemaking
process to ensure that the final rule requires that employers
take all
necessary and feasible steps to protect workers before injuries
occur."
We will be sending you updates and a summary of the proposal
now that we
have begun the formal public comment period to address the
leading cause
of serious injuries in this country. AFSCME will submit written
comments and present testimony from our members at the public
hearings.
We will be contacting affiliates to help us identify members
who have
compelling stories to tell about the injuries they have suffered.
We will also be
looking for members who can give examples of successful ergonomics
programs that their employers have already implemented.
The hearings are scheduled for:
Washington, DC: Feb 22 - March 17, 2000
Portland, OR: March 21-31
Chicago, IL: April 11-21
The ergonomics proposal and other information will be posted
on the OSHA
web site: http://www.osha.gov/
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