Just a quick note to follow up on our blog post from this year's ASSE Safety 2009 conference in San Antonio....
Speaking at the conference, Acting Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA Jordan Barab outlined some of the key challenges facing OSHA, including ergonomics.
Quoting from an online article at EHS Today, in his speech, Barab described ergonomics injuries as a huge safety and health problem recognized by strong science, but also one that stirs political debate. “We’re looking for a team that wants to move beyond destructive politics,” Barab said. “People are getting hurt by repetitive motion injuries … We can fix this, and we’d like you all to join us.”
On a related note, in a recent interview with Crain's, Randel Johnson, Senior Vice-President of Labor, Immigration and Employee Benefits, stated that "business owners should look for new regulations on ergonomics and more aggressive enforcement of the OSHA general duty clause that requires employers to provide a safe workplace".
When you listen to these two powerful folks, does it sound like big changes are coming?
We are curious as to your thoughts. Feel free to contribute.

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