Compliance

Round two for OSHA ergo rule
New workplace safety stance to encompass six issues

The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) hosted three forums across the country this month to gather public comment on workplace ergonomics.

Labor Secretary Elaine L. Chao will review the information presented at these forums prior to developing OSHA’s new stance on the issue, expected to be released this September.

After President Bush signed a Congressional joint resolution to disapprove of OSHA’s ergonomics standard, earlier this year, Chao promised to research all sides of the issue before proceeding with additional workplace safety initiatives.

In testimony before Congress, this spring, Chao listed six principles that the Department of Labor will use to create a new workplace ergonomics approach:

Prevention — The approach should place greater emphasis on preventing injuries before they occur.

Sound science — The approach should be based on the best available science and research.

Incentive-driven — The approach should focus on cooperation between OSHA and employers.

Flexibility — The approach should take account of the varying capabilities and characteristics of different businesses.

Feasibility — Future actions must recognize the costs of compliance to small businesses.

Clarity — Any approach must include short, simple and common-sense instructions.

In other OSHA news...
OSHA began enforcing its new bloodborne pathogen standard in mid-July. The rule requires medical facilities to allow front-line employees to select safer needle devices and to maintain a sharps injury log. Educational materials regarding the needlestick program are available at OSHA's web site.

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) is easing up on workplace safety enforcement and instead is concentrating on helping businesses avoid violations in the first place.

To help employers follow labor laws, the department will assign compliance officers in more than six dozen local offices, as well as set up a national hotline to answer questions.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, along with other businesses, has been lobbying the department to change enforcement procedures for quite some time. They complain that department inspectors often have focused on small infractions, made unreasonable demands for data and imposed varied standards in different parts of the country.

In addition to the DOL’s review of procedures and easing enforcement programs, it also is considering a policy that would encourage companies to use third-party safety experts.

If employers currently have questions, they can visit the DOL’s Web site. This site offers access to government advisers to answer managers questions about the rights of their businesses.

For the first time, the U.S. Congress has issued regulations on pesticides in school environments, with the Torricelli Amendment, created by Senator Robert Torricelli (D-NJ). The amendment, which requires all 50 states to develop responsible strategies for dealing with pesticides in public schools was passed unanimously on June 19.

Strategies must include a school pest management plan, which must be submitted to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for approval. Schools also are required to update parents three times a year regarding their pest management programs, as well as give 24 hours notice when pesticides will be used in schools. It does not affect the use of cleaning chemicals now classified as pesticides.

Fortunately many schools already have implemented such plans. The major change is that they now must follow the amendment’s steps and can be subject to federal action if those steps are not carried out properly.

For more information on the measure, visit the Congressional Website.