Injuries to muscles, nerves, ligaments and tendons include such problems as carpal tunnel syndrome, back pain and tendinitis. Marthe Kent, head of OSHA's regulatory programs, said the agency has devoted a decade of study to the problems and has observed that in the meantime, some companies have come up with effective solutions on their own. The time to act is now,'' Kent said. The new rules would cover a broad range of workers from nurses to baggage handlers at airports and people who work at computers or on assembly lines. Unions, also represented at the hearings, want even stronger protections - for example, penalties against companies that intimidate workers from reporting ergonomic injuries.
Businesses claim the government is far underestimating the cost.
Companies also say the rules are overly broad, requiring them to address individual physical problems that may be the result of factors other than working conditions, such as a person's overall health or activities at home.