Ergonomics Board Plans Revised Rules

Officials of the California Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board predicted Friday that by April they would adopt a revised program to protect workers against repetitive motion injuries.

Their comments downplayed concerns raised by Thursday’s surprise rejection by the California Office of Administrative Law of an ergonomics standard previously adopted by the standards board.

The administrative law office faulted several provisions in the proposed standard, which would be the first of its kind in the nation, for being unclear. But John MacLeod, executive officer of the standards board, said, “I don’t see anything that we can’t fix.”

Still, even if a revised ergonomics program is adopted in April, its future is clouded by litigation expected by employers claiming that the regulation is unneeded, along with unions that say the proposed rules are inadequate.

The ergonomics regulations are intended to combat fast-spreading repetitive motion injuries in the workplace such as tendinitis, carpal tunnel syndrome and back sprains.