OSHA's proposed standards could protect workers - if they can be agreed upon.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration recently proposed ergonomic standards designed to minimize repetitive-stress injuries ranging from carpal tunnel syndrome to back ailments.
Under the proposed regulations, about 1.6 million employers would have to implement a basic ergonomics program - assigning someone to be responsible for the matter, educating workers on risk and establishing a way for workers to get help. Workplaces in which at least one documented work-related injury had occurred would have to implement a more extensive ergonomics program, requiring additional analysis and control of job hazards, and regular training in ergonomics.