Ergonomics Comment Period Extended

February 7, 2000 10:10 AM, EST

After refusing to budge on the issue for months, the federal government has agreed to extend the deadline for comments on its controversial ergonomics standard proposal.

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The extension gives the public an additional 30 days to comment on the standard. The deadline for public comment, originally Feb. 2, is now March 2.

Industry groups gave the about-face lukewarm applause but took credit for it, saying the Occupational Safety and Health Administration caved in to pressure from business groups.

“After a deluge of more than 1,000 requests from the business community, OSHA has shown a glimmer of common sense by finally extending the public comment period on its proposed ergonomics standard,” said Ed Gilroy, co-chair of the National Coalition on Ergonomics, a group representing the business community, which has consistently opposed OSHA’s initiatives on workplace injuries. “If only some of that new-found light could be shed on the agency’s brazen rush to regulate an area where science doesn’t justify it, the nation and its workers would be better served.”

For the full story, see the Feb. 7 print edition of Transport Topics. Subscribe today.