Senate aims to breathe new life into ergonomic regs

A bipartisan effort is underway in the Senate to revive federally mandated ergonomics regulations, placing new responsibilities on employers.

Sen. John Breaux (D-LA) and Sen. Arlen Specter (R-PA) are co-sponsoring a bill to require OSHA to issue ergonomics regulations within two years, restricting the Labor Department’s ability to implement its own plan for dealing with ergonomics issues.

In April the Labor Department issued a four-pronged approach to addressing ergonomic issues in the workplace.