Best Small Cos. The Senate voted last night to kill a Clinton Administration rule aimed at preventing workplace injuries, especially repetitive motion injuries such as carpal tunnel syndrome. Beyond the significance of the regulations themselves, the action could signal, in more ways than one, a radically new way of doing business in the nation's capital.
Opponents say the rules are far too costly.
The rules in question require job conditions and workstations to be tailored to help workers avoid repetitive-stress and other types of injuries. They were ten years in the drafting because of opposition from business and congressional leaders along the way, and were finally issued in the last days of the Clinton presidency. They still have not taken effect. Before the vote, the Bush Administration provided formal support for killing the rules. Democrats, led by Sen. Edward Kennedy of Massachusetts said the Senate action was too rushed.