Congress Puts The Kill on OSHA's Ergonomics Regulations

On Wednesday, March 8, 2001, the United States Congress voted to kill the OSHA workplace ergonomics regulations that took effect this year. First, the Senate, by a vote of 56-44, and later the House, by a vote of 223-206, passed resolutions dropping the regulations that were aimed at reducing or eliminating work-place repetitive stress injuries such as carpal tunnel syndrome, back strain, and tendonitis. President Bush is expected to sign the law repealing the regulations, which had imposed several requirements upon employers, including educating workers about such injuries, redesigning jobs, and paying some injured workers 90% of their wages. Small businesses, in particular, opposed the measures as prohibitively expensive.


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