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Hoping to undermine OSHA’s ergonomics standard, its enemies directed the prestigious National Academy of Sciences to study whether there is a scientific basis for the safeguard.
The plan blew up in their faces on Jan. 18 when the NAS released a report that put the lie to opponents’ claims that there is too little “science” to show that musculoskeletal disorders (MSD’s) are caused by working conditions.
The NAS study, prepared by some the world’s leading scientific and medical experts in ergonomics, provides solid evidence to support the new regulation. The safety standard was recently adopted by the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration to protect computer, blue collar and other workers.
The group put a staggering price tag of $50 billion a year on the cost of lost wages, lowered productivity and Workers Compensation resulting from lower back pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, and other MSDs.
The report concluded that 1 million workers must take time off because of MSDs, and it said the problems could be corrected by the type of “properly implemented strategies” mandated under the new ergonomics standard.
“The NAS study confirms what millions of workers have learned the hard way: Repetitive motion causes workplace injuries,” said AFSCME President Gerald W. McEntee.
“I am sure the anti-worker members of Congress who ordered this report are not happy with the findings by one of the world’s most esteemed scientific organizations.”
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