Refrigerated Transporter

AFFI hails new OSHA ergonomic guidelines

May 1, 2002

The American Frozen Food Institute (AFFI) has commended Secretary of Labor Elaine L Chao and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)

The American Frozen Food Institute (AFFI) has commended Secretary of Labor Elaine L Chao and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) for the decision to pursue ergonomic guidelines as opposed to a mandatory approach proposed by the Clinton administration.

The Clinton administration's ergonomics regulation was overturned by Congress in 2001. Had those new rules been implemented, they would have forced companies to make sweeping changes to their operations without comprehensive scientific data to substantiate those changes. OSHA's new plan seeks to dramatically reduce ergonomic injuries through a combination of industry-targeted guidelines, tough enforcement measures, workplace advanced research, and dedicated efforts to protect immigrant workers.

The agency's plan reflects many of the same principles advocated by AFFI during a meeting with Chao and testimony before the United States Department of Labor in 2001.