>Dear Compliancenetters:

Please see the following update, pulled from a National Association of
Manufacturers' newsletter,  on pending safety and health legislation:

>OSHA Update
>
>Ergonomics Vote Expected in the Senate
>This week, the full Senate is expected to consider an NAM-backed amendment
>to S. 1650, the FY 2000 Labor, Health and Human Services and Education
>appropriations bill.  This bill, to be introduced by Sen. Bond (R-MO), would
>simply freeze in place the rulemaking process on ergonomic protection at the
>Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) as the National Academy
>of Sciences (NAS) continues to work toward completion of its study.
>
>Passage of the Bond ergonomics amendment is important for every manufacturer
>in America because it stops OSHA from pushing ahead with its ergonomics
>regulation without the benefit of objective scientific data.  The NAM will
>recommend to our Key Vote Committee that this be considered as a Key
>Manufacturing Vote in the NAM's Voting Record for the 106th Congress.
>
>It's not too late - please contact your U.S. Senator, by letter, fax or
>phone, to urge him/her to support Sen. Bond's ergonomics amendment.  To
>access the Capitol Switchboard, call (202) 224-3121.
>
>On a side note, a review of OSHA's draft rule by the Office of Management
>and Budget (OMB) officially ended on October 2.  It is unclear whether OSHA
>will, in fact, move hastily forward to issue the rule in the Federal
>Register instead of allowing the nation's best scientists to analyze the
>available data.  NAM contact:  Jenny Saunders Krese at (202) 637-3132 or
>[log in to unmask]
>
>OSHA Misses the Boat -- Again
>Once again, OSHA has grossly underestimated the costs of a regulation that
>is sure to have a tremendous impact on every manufacturer, according to a
>recently released report by the SBA Office of Advocacy on OSHA's ergonomic
>(repetitive motion) rule.
>
>A 9/16 consultant's report cites numerous faults with OSHA's cost estimates,
>concluding that without proper guidance and clarity, many injuries will
>mistakenly be labeled musculoskeletal injuries, potentially bringing the
>national cost to $8.4 billion, rather than OSHA's predicted $2.8 billion.
>Additionally, the report concludes that OSHA underestimated the number of
>injuries that occur outside the workplace that would be labeled as
>repetitive motion injuries because they are aggravated at the workplace.
>
>In its draft proposed rule, OSHA estimated that 2.7 million workplaces would
>need to implement a "basic ergonomics program."  However, this report finds
>that the agency's rule could cover a much larger number of establishments.
>Possibly most disturbing is OSHA's woeful underestimation of the time and
>costs required in setting up a basic program.  In drafting its rule, OSHA
>regulators estimated it would take the "average" firm 10 hours of personnel
>time, when in reality, it may take such a firm as many as 70 hours to set up
>a "basic ergonomics program."  According to the study, this means that the
>cost of the basic program, rather than being $622 million nationally as
>estimated by OSHA, may well amount to $8.45 billion if 2.7 million
>workplaces are affected, or $17.1 billion if 5.5 million are affected.
>Rather than welcome the knowledge the NAS study will provide, OSHA - bowing
>to pressure from organized labor - plans to rush to issue a proposed rule
>before the 18-month study is completed.  Makes us wonder whether OSHA is
>more motivated by politics or by sound health and safety policy.  NAM
>contact:  Jenny Saunders Krese at (202) 637-3132 or [log in to unmask]
>

Holly Evans
Vice President of Government Relations
IPC
2600 Virginia Ave., N.W.
Suite 408
Washington, D.C. 20037
Phone: 202-333-2331
Fax: 202-333-6605
E-mail: [log in to unmask]

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