News Notes: New Ergonomics Rules Close To Adoption

Revised workplace ergonomics rules may be adopted as early as the April 17, 1997 meeting of the California Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board. We reported in February that California’s ergonomics rules had to be scrapped and rewritten to be less confusing. The reworded regulations have now been prepared. They aim to clarify these main points: 1) which employers must establish an ergonomics program; 2) the type of work activities covered by the law; 3) the definition of “workplace;” 4) how a repetitive motion injury will be diagnosed; and 5) the employer’s obligations. The new rules could go into effect by early July. Call the Standards Board at (916) 322-3640 for more information or a copy of the revised regulations. Also, on the federal level, OSHA has signaled its intent to jumpstart its stalled effort to develop its own ergonomics rules by appointing a new ergonomics coordinator.