The coverage of the proposed ergonomics standard would be extensive.
Private estimates are higher still.
The development of the ergonomics standard provides an interesting case study of how regulators develop their role. Only those unfamiliar with the ways of government would expect OSHA to drop the matter just because the problem was being solved without its intervention. Moreover, the solutions or prevention of such injuries has little to gain from ergonomics programs or ergonomic design of workstations. Not only is there the natural tendency of regulators to underestimate the costs they impose on the rest of us. They also tend to overestimate the benefits of the rules they impose.