Bush Signs Ergonomics Repeal
The measure Bush signed revokes wide-ranging ergonomics rules issued just days before President Clinton left office and slated to take effect in October. A bill to repeal them sped through Congress earlier this month.
American Trucking Associations President and Chief Executive Officer Walter B. McCormick Jr. had praised Congress for its decision, calling it a victory for all employers.
The ergonomics rules were designed by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to protect 102 million workers from nagging neck, arm, back, and joint injuries while doing repetitive-motion jobs, such as loading freight, sorting packages, or typing at a video display terminal.
Bush complained that the rules would have faced all sorts of businesses with a one-size-fits-all bureaucratic approach, the Associated Press reported.
He reportedly issued a statement in signing the repeal, saying the rules would have presented "overwhelming compliance challenges" if left in place.
OSHA began to develop its mandatory rules 10 years ago, focusing on complaints raised by two labor unions regarding jobs in the meatpacking industry.
However, industry began to develop voluntary worker training programs to counter union demands for government regulation of the workplace.
Organized labor helped get the rules finalized in the waning days of the Clinton administration. The regulations were to be enforced starting in October 2001.
Business groups renewed their offensive against the rules, lobbying Congress and citing the tremendous costs of compliance.
American Trucking Associations estimated the rules would cost the trucking industry alone $6.5 billion annually. That is $2 billion more than what OSHA estimated the costs would be for all industries.
With Congress nullifying the rules, the Labor Department is prohibited from simply revamping them. Labor Secretary Elaine Chao must come up with new rules to protect workers against injuries.
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