[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 55 (Thursday, May 1, 1997)]
[House]
[Page H2098]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                               ERGONOMICS

  (Mr. BONILLA asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. BONILLA. Mr. Speaker, I want to give my colleagues a brief course 
today on a new word called ergonomics. It is confusing because it 
sounds a little bit like ebonics or economics. Why are we hearing more 
about it lately? Because OSHA is starting to promulgate and write a 
rule that will hurt every American small business.
  Since ergonomics a tough word to remember, I will spell it out. The E 
in ergonomics stands for expensive. It will cost small business an arm 
and a leg to comply.
  The R is for redtape and the regulatory nightmare it would create. 
The G is for grab more power by the big labor unions, and that is their 
goal. The O is for OSHA, attempting to control every nook and cranny in 
the workplace.
  The N is for no, because no definitive science exists to support such 
a standard. The O, once again, is for OSHA for overzealous. The M is 
for the medical experts who do not know what causes ergonomic injuries 
yet. The I is for if, because if you think this is a bad rule or the 
EPA-proposed standards were bad, wait until you see this. The C is for 
common sense and the lack of it in proposing this idea, and the S is 
for science and the need for a well-respected National Academy of 
Science report before we promulgate this rule.

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