August 1997 WORKER PROTECTION Private Sector Ergonomics Programs Yield Positive Results

Private sector employers spend about $60 billion annually on workers' compensation costs associated with injuries and illnesses experienced by their employees. The Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration 1 (OSHA) has estimated that as much as one-third of these costs is due to musculoskeletal disorders (MSD), a wide range of illnesses and injuries related to repetitive stress or sustained exertion on the body. 2 Over the last few years, OSHA has tried to develop a workplace standard requiring employers to take particular actions to reduce MSDs and the contributing workplace hazards (often called ergonomic hazards). But there is disagreement about what workplace conditions cause or contribute to MSD and what actions employers should take to reduce MSDs. A draft standard that OSHA circulated for informal comment in 1995 generated significant opposition from many employers because they believed it required an unreasonable level of effort to identify jobs with ergonomic hazards and to reduce these hazards. Others, including labor organizations, generally supported the draft standard and believed it was consistent with approaches implemented by many employers. Between July 1995 and October 1996, a restriction in an appropriations law prohibited OSHA from spending appropriated funds to do further work to develop a draft standard. The Congress has enacted a modified restriction for fiscal year 1998 that prohibits OSHA from issuing a proposed or final ergonomics standard during the year, but allows OSHA to develop such a proposal in the meantime. 1 OSHA was created to carry out the Occupational Safety and Health Act, which declared a national policy of ensuring safe and healthful working conditions for every working man and woman. OSHA develops and enforces workplace safety and health standards and educates employers and employees about workplace hazards. 2 MSDs include conditions such as tendinitis, carpal tunnel syndrome, and lower back injuries and can happen to workers in a myriad of occupations, such as computer keyboard operators, nursing home attendants, and automobile assembly workers. Symptoms of MSDs can include swelling in the joints, limited range of motion, numbness or tingling sensations, and loss of strength. Despite the controversy surrounding OSHA's draft standard, some employers have taken the initiative to address MSDs through the implementation of ergonomics programs. 3 To learn about these programs and their results, you asked that we (1) identify the core elements of effective ergonomics programs and describe how these elements are operationalized at the facility level, …