House Votes To Block OSHA Rules

In the Winter 2000 edition of our Newsletter, we reported on new ergonomic regulations proposed by OSHA concerning alleged repetitive motion disorders. If adopted, these regulations would have required employers to establish comprehensive plans to monitor, control and reduce workplace hazards associated with repetitive motion disorders through management investigation, employee interviews, additional training, and advice of medical care professionals. The proposed rules would have been costly to employers and potentially subjected them to significant liability.

Recently, the House of Representatives voted to block the proposed OSHA rules. By a 220 to 203 vote, the House stopped the government from issuing the final proposed ergonomic rules that would have affected 1.6 million employers. This vote has been called a "symbolic defeat for organized labor" and marks the latest turn of events in the longstanding battle between business and labor in the area of alleged repetitive motion disorders.