Debate on the regulatory rollback will start next week in the Senate, GOP congressional aides said Friday, with a vote possible by Wednesday. During the 2000 campaign, Bush said he believed the federal government should focus on providing information about ergonomics programs but resist issuing mandates. A White House spokesman, Scott McClellan, on Friday said only that the ergonomics rules are under review. Republicans on Capitol Hill say blocking the regulations will save businesses from potentially bewildering and costly efforts to meet imprecise standards. This vote will set the tone, not only for this Congress but for this administration, coming as early as it does.
All sides acknowledge the ergonomics rules are a landmark.
The rules require employers in most industries to take certain steps to prevent musculoskeletal disorders, which are crippling conditions such as carpal tunnel syndrome, tendinitis or chronic back injuries that force an estimated 600,000 workers off the job each year. At a minimum, affected employers are required to notify workers by Oct. 15 about the risks of such injuries and establish procedures for reporting them. Some fixes, labor officials say, could be as easy as adjusting the height of a platform or desk. In all, business groups estimate that 6 million employers could be affected. Clinton's decision to put the federal rules into effect prompted an uprising by small and large employers across the country, said Randel Johnson, a vice president at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.