For Immediate Release
Tuesday, April 02, 2002
Bush Administration's Ergonomics Plan — Too Little Too Late, AFSCME Says
WASHINGTON —"Too little too late," was the reaction of Gerald W. McEntee, President of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, (AFSCME), AFL-CIO, to the Bush administration's long awaited announcement on how the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), intends to address ergonomic hazards in the workplace.
Today Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao unveiled a "four-pronged comprehensive approach" that relies almost entirely on developing guidelines and voluntary measures by businesses. "The plan announced today ignores over a decade of careful research and discussion on the problem and will fail to prevent widespread ergonomics injuries to millions of American workers," McEntee charged.
A year ago, President Bush signed legislation repealing OSHA's ergonomics standard. Since then, Secretary Chao has been promising that OSHA would fashion a "comprehensive" plan to protect workers. A National Academy of Sciences report issued last year found that each year an estimated 1.8 workers suffer million painful and disabling back injuries, carpal tunnel syndrome, and other MSDs at a cost of $50 billion to the U.S. economy. The study also concluded that many injuries could be reduced by making changes in the jobs workers perform.
"A program to prevent back injuries and other repetitive strain injuries that does not include a strong ergonomics standard backed up by effective enforcement is an empty and unworkable approach," McEntee said. "This administration has once again shamefully sided with big corporations at the expense of working families."
"This action, or more accurately, inaction, cannot be allowed to stand. We will continue to make demands on Congress as well as the White House until the Department of Labor assumes its responsibility to fulfill its mandate of ensuring a safe work environment for all workers nationwide," Mr. McEntee added.
