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| ### 5/7/01                 |                                         |
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| +-----------------------+  |                                         |
| | +------------------+  |  |                                         |
| | | ### Majori       |  |  |                                         |
| | | ty of Senators A |  |  |                                         |
| | | ppear to Want an |  |  |                                         |
| | |  Ergonomics Rule |  |  |                                         |
| | |                  |  |  |                                         |
| | | Momentum for a   |  |  |                                         |
| | | new ergonomics   |  |  |                                         |
| | | standard appears |  |  |                                         |
| | | to be building.  |  |  |                                         |
| | |                  |  |  |                                         |
| | | Sen. John        |  |  |                                         |
| | | Breaux, D-La.,   |  |  |                                         |
| | | with the support |  |  |                                         |
| | | of 10            |  |  |                                         |
| | | co-sponsors, has |  |  |                                         |
| | | introduced a     |  |  |                                         |
| | | bill that would  |  |  |                                         |
| | | require the      |  |  |                                         |
| | | Labor Department |  |  |                                         |
| | | to issue an      |  |  |                                         |
| | | ergonomics       |  |  |                                         |
| | | standard within  |  |  |                                         |
| | | two years. A     |  |  |                                         |
| | | companion bill   |  |  |                                         |
| | | has been         |  |  |                                         |
| | | introduced in    |  |  |                                         |
| | | the House, and a |  |  |                                         |
| | | number of        |  |  |                                         |
| | | professional     |  |  |                                         |
| | | organizations    |  |  |                                         |
| | | have issued      |  |  |                                         |
| | | statements of    |  |  |                                         |
| | | support for a    |  |  |                                         |
| | | new standard.    |  |  |                                         |
| | |                  |  |  |                                         |
| | | Breaux and six   |  |  |                                         |
| | | other            |  |  |                                         |
| | | co-sponsors      |  |  |                                         |
| | | voted to kill    |  |  |                                         |
| | | the Clinton      |  |  |                                         |
| | | a                |  |  |                                         |
| | | dministration\'s |  |  |                                         |
| | | rule, but they   |  |  |                                         |
| | | contend a better |  |  |                                         |
| | | ergonomics       |  |  |                                         |
| | | standard is      |  |  |                                         |
| | | necessary.       |  |  |                                         |
| | | Adding these     |  |  |                                         |
| | | seven senators   |  |  |                                         |
| | | to the 44 who    |  |  |                                         |
| | | voted for the    |  |  |                                         |
| | | old ergonomics   |  |  |                                         |
| | | standard, there  |  |  |                                         |
| | | appears to be a  |  |  |                                         |
| | | slim 51-49       |  |  |                                         |
| | | majority of      |  |  |                                         |
| | | senators in      |  |  |                                         |
| | | favor of a new   |  |  |                                         |
| | | rule.            |  |  |                                         |
| | |                  |  |  |                                         |
| | | The bill, S.598, |  |  |                                         |
| | | in an attempt to |  |  |                                         |
| | | avoid the        |  |  |                                         |
| | | pitfalls of the  |  |  |                                         |
| | | previous         |  |  |                                         |
| | | ergonomics       |  |  |                                         |
| | | standard, states |  |  |                                         |
| | | that the new     |  |  |                                         |
| | | rule will:       |  |  |                                         |
| | |                  |  |  |                                         |
| | | -   Not apply to |  |  |                                         |
| | |                  |  |  |                                         |
| | | non-work-related |  |  |                                         |
| | |                  |  |  |                                         |
| | |  musculoskeletal |  |  |                                         |
| | |     disorders    |  |  |                                         |
| | |     (MSDs), or   |  |  |                                         |
| | |                  |  |  |                                         |
| | | non-work-related |  |  |                                         |
| | |     MSDs that    |  |  |                                         |
| | |     are          |  |  |                                         |
| | |     aggravated   |  |  |                                         |
| | |     by work;     |  |  |                                         |
| | |                  |  |  |                                         |
| | | -   Set forth    |  |  |                                         |
| | |     clearly when |  |  |                                         |
| | |     an employer  |  |  |                                         |
| | |     must take    |  |  |                                         |
| | |     action, and  |  |  |                                         |
| | |     what the     |  |  |                                         |
| | |     employer has |  |  |                                         |
| | |     to do;       |  |  |                                         |
| | |                  |  |  |                                         |
| | | -   Not          |  |  |                                         |
| | |     interfere    |  |  |                                         |
| | |     with state   |  |  |                                         |
| | |     workers\'    |  |  |                                         |
| | |     compensation |  |  |                                         |
| | |     laws.        |  |  |                                         |
| | |                  |  |  |                                         |
| | | The American     |  |  |                                         |
| | | Society of       |  |  |                                         |
| | | Safety           |  |  |                                         |
| | | Engineers, the   |  |  |                                         |
| | | American         |  |  |                                         |
| | | Industrial       |  |  |                                         |
| | | Hygiene          |  |  |                                         |
| | | Association, and |  |  |                                         |
| | | the American     |  |  |                                         |
| | | Public Health    |  |  |                                         |
| | | Association,     |  |  |                                         |
| | | have all called  |  |  |                                         |
| | | on Congress and  |  |  |                                         |
| | | Labor Secretary  |  |  |                                         |
| | | Chao to issue a  |  |  |                                         |
| | | new ergonomics   |  |  |                                         |
| | | standard. The    |  |  |                                         |
| | | groups have not  |  |  |                                         |
| | | taken a position |  |  |                                         |
| | | on Breaux\'s     |  |  |                                         |
| | | bill.            |  |  |                                         |
| | |                  |  |  |                                         |
| | | In the House,    |  |  |                                         |
| | | Rep. Christopher |  |  |                                         |
| | | John, D-La.,     |  |  |                                         |
| | | introduced a     |  |  |                                         |
| | | companion        |  |  |                                         |
| | | measure, H.R.    |  |  |                                         |
| | | 1241. John\'s    |  |  |                                         |
| | | bill has picked  |  |  |                                         |
| | | up the support   |  |  |                                         |
| | | of six           |  |  |                                         |
| | | co-sponsors,     |  |  |                                         |
| | | including one    |  |  |                                         |
| | | Republican, all  |  |  |                                         |
| | | of whom voted    |  |  |                                         |
| | | against the      |  |  |                                         |
| | | previous         |  |  |                                         |
| | | ergonomics       |  |  |                                         |
| | | standard.        |  |  |                                         |
| | |                  |  |  |                                         |
| | | This means       |  |  |                                         |
| | | supporters of a  |  |  |                                         |
| | | new ergo rule    |  |  |                                         |
| | | are close to a   |  |  |                                         |
| | | majority in the  |  |  |                                         |
| | | House as well,   |  |  |                                         |
| | | but the bill     |  |  |                                         |
| | | must first move  |  |  |                                         |
| | | out of the       |  |  |                                         |
| | | Education and    |  |  |                                         |
| | | Workforce        |  |  |                                         |
| | | Committee, which |  |  |                                         |
| | | has been focused |  |  |                                         |
| | | on education     |  |  |                                         |
| | | issues.          |  |  |                                         |
| | |                  |  |  |                                         |
| | | It is not known  |  |  |                                         |
| | | how, or when,    |  |  |                                         |
| | | committee chair  |  |  |                                         |
| | | Rep. John        |  |  |                                         |
| | | Boehner, R-Oh.,  |  |  |                                         |
| | | will deal with   |  |  |                                         |
| | | H.R. 1241, but   |  |  |                                         |
| | | it does appear   |  |  |                                         |
| | | that he will not |  |  |                                         |
| | | be able to avoid |  |  |                                         |
| | | it. \"This issue |  |  |                                         |
| | | is going to come |  |  |                                         |
| | | up,\" said a     |  |  |                                         |
| | | committee aide.  |  |  |                                         |
| | | \"It\'s just too |  |  |                                         |
| | | important not    |  |  |                                         |
| | | to.\"            |  |  |                                         |
| | |                  |  |  |                                         |
| | | by James Nash    |  |  |                                         |
| | +------------------+  |  |                                         |
| +-----------------------+  |                                         |
+----------------------------+-----------------------------------------+
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