Some even foresee their workload actually increasing. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration's Ergonomics Program Standard became law on Jan. 16. The standard required almost all employers in the United States to create programs to protect workers from musculoskeletal disorders, or MSDs, caused by risk factors in the workplace. Work-related MSDs result when there is a mismatch between the physical capacity of workers and the physical demands of their jobs. OSHA's aim was to curb repetitive-strain injuries suffered by 1 million American workers, calling the injuries costly and burdensome for businesses.
Clients are confused about what their interim obligations are.
Many Republicans opposed the rules, and soon after the change in power in Washington, moves were made to overturn them. But because repetitive-motion rules would cover 102 million workers at 6.1 million work sites around the country, the agency estimated that the rules would prevent 4.6 million MSDs. Although the imminent death of the OSHA regulations will prevent many lawsuits and OSHA workplace inspections, many lawyers still speculate that the debate over ergonomics is not over. According to OSHA, one-third of injuries occur in the workplace per year. This concern to stem the impending tide of future legislation will prompt many employers to review and rewrite their policies on workplace injuries, say attorneys.