[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 987 Reported in House (RH)]
Union Calendar No. 162
106th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 987
[Report No. 106-272]
To require the Secretary of Labor to wait for completion of a National
Academy of Sciences study before promulgating a standard or guideline
on ergonomics.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
March 4, 1999
Mr. Blunt (for himself, Mr. Ballenger, Mr. Armey, Mr. DeLay, Mr. Watts
of Oklahoma, Mr. Stenholm, Mr. Goode, Mr. Pickett, Mr. Bonilla, Mr.
Boehner, Mr. Cunningham, Mr. Burr of North Carolina, Mr. Hefley, Mr.
McIntosh, Mr. Peterson of Pennsylvania, Mr. Hall of Texas, Mr. Sisisky,
Mr. Tanner, Mr. John, Mr. Martinez, Mr. Clement, and Mr. Goodling)
introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on
Education and the Workforce
July 29, 1999
Additional sponsors: Mr. Talent, Mr. Bachus, Mr. Dickey, Mr. Istook,
Mr. Miller of Florida, Mr. Norwood, Mrs. Roukema, Mr. Ramstad, Mr.
Pickering, Mr. Porter, Ms. Dunn, Mr. Sununu, Mr. Coble, Mr. Fossella,
Mr. Knollenberg, Mrs. Emerson, Mr. Chambliss, Mr. Isakson, Mr. Graham,
Mr. Upton, Mr. Sensenbrenner, Mrs. Chenoweth, Mr. Tancredo, Mr. Gary
Miller of California, Mr. Hill of Montana, Mr. Hobson, Mr. Collins, Mr.
Sam Johnson of Texas, Mr. Goodlatte, Mr. Hilleary, Mr. Archer, Mr.
Green of Wisconsin, Mr. McInnis, Mr. Taylor of North Carolina, Mr.
Burton of Indiana, Mr. Fletcher, Mr. Ehlers, Mr. McKeon, Mr. Deal of
Georgia, Mr. Hutchinson, Mr. Ewing, Mr. Aderholt, Mr. Paul, Mr. Bass,
Mr. Jenkins, Mr. Cox, Mr. Barrett of Nebraska, Mrs. Bono, Mr.
Nethercutt, Mr. Horn, Mr. Wicker, Mrs. Myrick, Ms. Pryce of Ohio, Mr.
Brady of Texas, Mr. Bartlett of Maryland, Mr. Pombo, Mr. Moran of
Kansas, Mr. Herger, Mr. Tauzin, Mr. Ney, Mr. McCrery, Mr. Ganske, Mr.
DeMint, Mrs. Northup, Mr. Simpson, Mrs. Biggert, Mr. Everett, Mr.
Toomey, Mr. Stump, Mr. Radanovich, Mr. Bryant, Mr. Hansen, Mr. Dreier,
Mr. Rohrabacher, Mr. Walden of Oregon, Mr. Skeen, Mr. Lewis of
California, Mr. Doolittle, Mr. Ehrlich, Mr. Gibbons, Mr. Salmon, Mr.
Watkins, Ms. Granger, Mr. Barton of Texas, Mr. Linder, Mr. Portman, Mr.
Hayes, Mr. Schaffer, Mr. Barr of Georgia, Mr. Wamp, Mr. Scarborough,
Mr. Pitts, Mr. Hayworth, Mr. Sessions, Mr. Kolbe, Mr. Weldon of
Florida, Mr. Tiahrt, Mr. Chabot, Mr. Mica, Mr. Lewis of Kentucky, Mr.
Souder, Mr. Foley, Mr. Ryun of Kansas, Mr. Hyde, Mr. Largent, Mr.
Bliley, Mr. Pease, Mr. Castle, Mr. Baker, Mr. Gillmor, Mr. Combest, Mr.
Buyer, Mr. Goss, Mrs. Fowler, Mr. Greenwood, Mr. Riley, Mr. Hastings of
Washington, Mr. Lucas of Oklahoma, Mr. Oxley, Mr. Gutknecht, Mr.
Manzullo, Mr. Thune, Mr. Jones of North Carolina, Mr. Kingston, Mr.
Whitfield, Mr. Calvert, Mr. Latham, Mr. Kasich, Mr. Duncan, Mr. Rogers,
Mr. Smith of Texas, Mr. Camp, Mr. Hostettler, Mr. Stearns, Mr.
McCollum, Mr. Hunter, Mr. Campbell, Mr. Spence, Mr. Thornberry, Mrs.
Cubin, and Mr. Reynolds
Deleted sponsors: Mr. Martinez (added March 4, 1999; deleted April 21,
1999), Mr. Barcia (added April 14, 1999; deleted July 21, 1999), Mr.
Traficant (added April 14, 1999; deleted June 22, 1999), and Mr.
Thompson of Mississippi (added April 14, 1999; deleted May 18, 1999)
July 29, 1999
Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union
and ordered to be printed
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To require the Secretary of Labor to wait for completion of a National
Academy of Sciences study before promulgating a standard or guideline
on ergonomics.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Workplace Preservation Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
(a) Congress finds the following:
(1) The Department of Labor, Occupational Safety and Health
Administration (OSHA) has announced that it plans to propose
regulations during 1999 to regulate ``ergonomics'' in the
workplace. A draft of OSHA's ergonomics regulation became
available in January 1999.
(2) A July, 1997, report by the National Institute for
Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) reviewing
epidemiological studies that have been conducted of ``work
related musculoskeletal disorders of the neck, upper extremity,
and low back'' showed that there is insufficient evidence to
assess the level of risk to workers from repetitive motions.
Such characterization would be necessary to write an efficient
and effective regulation.
(3) An August 1998, workshop on ``work related
musculoskeletal injuries'' held by the National Academy of
Sciences also reviewed existing research on musculoskeletal
disorders. It also showed that there is insufficient evidence
to assess the level of risk to workers from repetitive motions.
(4) The risk of OSHA imposing a ``solution'' to ailments
and disorders that are grouped as ``repetitive stress
injuries'' and ``musculoskeletal disorders'' before sufficient
information about the diagnosis, causes, and prevention of such
injuries and disorders is shown by the fact that such disorders
have often increased in workplaces and industries in which OSHA
has focused ergonomics-related enforcement actions under the
General Duty Clause of the Occupational Safety and Health Act,
while such disorders have been decreasing in workplaces
generally.
(5) In October, 1998, Congress and the President agreed
upon a comprehensive study by the National Academy of Science
of the medical and scientific evidence regarding
musculoskeletal disorders. The study is intended to evaluate
the basic questions about diagnosis and causes of such
disorders. Given the level of uncertainty and dispute about
these basic questions, and Congress' intention that they be
addressed in a comprehensive study by the National Academy of
Science, it is premature for OSHA to decide that a regulation
on ergonomics is necessary or appropriate to improving workers'
health and safety before such study is completed.
(6) The estimated costs of OSHA's proposed ergonomics
regulation range from OSHA's low national estimate of
$20,000,000,000 to some single industry costs of
$18,000,000,000 to $30,000,000,000. Any regulation with this
potential impact on the Nation's economy merits a sound
scientific and medical foundation.
SEC. 3. DELAY OF STANDARD OR GUIDELINE.
The Secretary of Labor, acting through the Occupational Safety and
Health Administration, may not promulgate or issue any standard or
guideline on ergonomics until the National Academy of Sciences--
(1) completes a peer-reviewed scientific study of the
available evidence examining a cause and effect relationship
between repetitive tasks in the workplace and musculoskeletal
disorders or repetitive stress injuries; and
(2) submits to Congress a report setting forth the findings
resulting from such study.
Union Calendar No. 162
106th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 987
[Report No. 106-272]
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To require the Secretary of Labor to wait for completion of a National
Academy of Sciences study before promulgating a standard or guideline
on ergonomics.
_______________________________________________________________________
July 29, 1999
Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union
and ordered to be printed