Bush Signature Kills Worker Safety Protection President George W. Bush condemned millions of workers to the pain and suffering of ergonomic injuries, such as carpal tunnel syndrome, when he supported and signed legislation March 20 killing the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's ergonomics standard. Under the terms of the special legislation used to kill ergonomics, OSHA is prohibited from issuing a similar rule in the future unless Congress votes to allow a new measure. The U.S. Senate and House of Representatives voted to kill the new worker safety rule on March 6 and 7 with little debate after business groups, including the National Association of Manufacturers and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, made killing the standard a top priority.
Ergonomic hazards are the biggest job safety problem in America.
Ergonomic injuries are caused by heavy lifting, repetitive work and poorly designed jobs. The OSHA workplace safety rule would have required employers to train workers, find and fix job hazards and provide medical evaluations to injured workers. While Bush and Big Business allies won the congressional battle to kill ergonomics, workers and their unions will continue the campaign to Stop the Pain . Workers Memorial Day is April 28. Join the Stop the Pain campaign .