010133 Worker Protections Take Effect in Industry

Washington - The following was released by United Food and Commercial Workers:

American workers have won a major victory. OSHA's Ergonomics Program Standard for addressing musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) took effect January 16, 2001, providing long-awaited protections for workers across the country.

The National Academies of Science yesterday released a report sponsored by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that confirms the association between work and musculoskeletal disorders and that ergonomic interventions in the workplace are effective in reducing these injuries.

The report was commissioned two years ago by Congress, in spite of overwhelming scientific evidence and a previous NAS report confirming that job modifications can prevent worker injuries. It was one of many roadblocks that industry and their conservative Republican allies in Congress have attempted to use for nearly a decade to block OSHA from publishing an ergonomic standard.

"This is a major victory for worker activism, succeeding despite more than a decade of industry opposition. The NAS report confirms both the scientific basis for the standard and industry data that interventions in the workplace reduce these disabling injuries. The UFCW is prepared to mobilize our 1.4 million members to protect this much-needed standard," said Doug Dority, President of the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW).

Many UFCW employers have shown that ergonomics programs work in reducing MSDs. Two St. Louis grocery chains replaced their poorly-designed checkstands with a better design that has resulted in lower workers' compensation claims. An ergonomics program at IBP has been in effect for more than ten years. Hundreds of jobs have been changed, workers have been trained in ergo safety and are an integral part of the program. The incidence of MSDs is down as well as turnover and workers' compensation costs. Early medical intervention has led to a dramatic drop in surgeries.

Workers in other plants and industries, like poultry, have been left behind and are hurting from the repetitive motions they perform thousands of times a day. Walter Frazier, a poultry worker from Delmarva, suffered through several surgeries and had to continue his job in pain as a "live hanger" waiting more than a year for a hearing to get workers' compensation and a job that wouldn't further aggravate his injuries.

This is a great day for American workers. This long-awaited standard will finally allow OSHA to protect all workers across the country from these crippling disorders. Every worker, including those in poultry plants, should be whole at the end of their workday.

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