September 17, 2003 - The National Advisory Committee on Ergonomics (NACE) will hold its third public meeting in Arlington, Va., Sept. 24, 2003. Press release from OSHA.

March 14, 2003 - The Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) issued an ergonomics guideline for the nursing home industry. This is the first in a series of industry-specific guidelines for the prevention of musculoskeletal disorders in the workplace. OSHA's Guidelines for Nursing Homes focuses on practical recommendations for employers to reduce the number and severity of workplace injuries by using methods found to be successful in the nursing home environment. Press relase from OSHA.

Here are the ergonomics guidelines and fact sheets from OSHA.


January 20, 2003 - At high risk for back injuries, nurses can prevent problems by practicing proper body mechanics and pushing for assistive technology and lift teams in their facilities. Story from NurseWeek.com.

The Bush administration has finally begun moving on ergonomics standards. The National Advisory Committee on Ergonomics (NACE) will hold its inaugural meeting in Washington, D.C., January 22. Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao announced the selection of the 15-member committee last month. Press release from OSHA.

April 22, 2002 - Labor Secretary Elaine Chao announced on April 18 that nursing homes will be the first industry to face the Bush administration's plan to develop voluntary ergonomics guidelines to protect workers from muscular-skeletal injuries. Story from the Kaiser Network. (link is no longer available)

The draft guidelines are expected to be ready for public comment later this year.

April 17, 2002 - The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced it will begin inspecting 1,000 nursing or personal care facilities out of 2,500 that reported high injury and illness rates. This new National Emphasis Program will focus on ergonomic back injuries from patient handling, bloodborne pathogens/tuberculosis, and slips, trips and falls. Press release from OSHA.

April 8, 2002 - The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has released a new four-tiered ergonomics plan designed to reduce workplace-related musculoskeletal injuries. According to American Nursing Association, nurses miss more work from musculoskeletal disorders than workers in any other industry, including construction.

This long delayed plan follows months of public forums and was designed to replace a Clinton administration plan that was derided as a "one size fits all" approach. The new plan is a four-pronged approach that includes industry-specific guidelines, coordinated enforcement procedures, workplace outreach plans, and a national advisory committee. Press release from the OSHA web site.

OSHA has set up a web site information center entitled "Effective Ergonomics: Strategies for Success". (link is no longer available)

July 26, 2001 - The American Nurses Association (ANA) this week called for immediate action by the Department of Labor to issue a new ergonomics standard. The ANA supported a Clinton-era ergonomics standard and was shocked earlier this year when a Republican-controlled Congress voted to rescind the final OSHA ergonomics rule. Since March 2001, ANA has waited for the Department of Labor to fulfill its promise of pursuing a comprehensive approach to ergonomics so nurses and other health care workers will be protected. Here is the press release from the ANA. (link is no longer available)

The Bush Administration's Department of Labor recently kicked off a series of hearings to determine what course it will take to regulate workplace conditions contributing to repetitive motion injuries. (web link is no longer available)

A spokesperson for the American Hospital Association pointed out hospitals' special concerns about ergonomics regulations. (link is no longer available)

March 21, 2001 - President Bush yesterday revoked the workplace ergonomics rules that had been put in place by the Clinton administration during its final months. Here is a summary from WebMD. (link is no longer available)

March 8, 2001 - The House of Representatives Representatives passed a "resolution of disapproval", killing the disputed ergonomics rule less than 36 hours after the Senate took the matter up earlier this week.

American Nurses Association (ANA) President Mary Foley denounced the action.

"The long-overdue ergonomics standard was debated for over 10 years, while every day nurses across the nation were suffering debilitating, and often career-ending and life-altering, injuries from lifting and moving patients," Foley stated. "This standard is badly needed not only to reduce the high number of disabling back injuries and musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) experienced by nurses, who rank fifth among the nation's workers for filing workers' compensation cases, but also to stem a mass exodus of nurses from direct care roles, which has resulted in part from a lack of workplace safety protections.

"In the face of a nursing shortage that is fast reaching crisis proportions, injuries are a major contributing factor to nurses leaving the profession," Foley stated, "especially for the bulk of the nation's nurses who will soon be reaching retirement age. Relieving the harsh working environment is crucial if we want to attract and retain nurses at the bedside."

Here is the full press release from the ANA.{link is no longer available)


March 7, 2001 - The US Senate yesterday voted to overturn the new ergonomics standards implemented by OSHA late in the Clinton administration. The US House of Representatives also appears ready to vote to overturn the standard. (web link is no longer available)

The American Nurses Association (ANA) had supported the implementation of the new ergonomics standards as essential for reducing back and muscle injuries in the nursing workforce.(link is no longer available)


December 6, 2000 - The nurses.com web site has provided a summary of the mixed reactions that the new OSHA ergonomics standards are receiving.

November 24, 2000 - Opposition has quickly surfaced to the new ergonomics standards from OSHA that were published earlier this month in this federal register.

The American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) claims that the new standard contains serious flaws. Last week, two lawsuits opposing the standard were filed. (link is no longer available)

The American Nurses Association (ANA) supports the standard. ANA President Mary Foley, R.N., said, "This standard will play a major role in preventing the back injuries that affect up to 38% of all nurses."


November 16, 2000 - Here is the OSHA web page for downloading a copy of the new ergonomic standards. (link is no longer available)

November 13, 2000 - The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has released new, controversial ergonomics standards to protect Americans from injuries caused by repetitive stress, heavy lifting, and other physical strains on the job. Here is an overview from HealthScout/Yahoo. (web link is no longer available)

The final ergonomics standards are due to take effect on January 16, just before a new president is inaugurated on January 20. Opponents claim the Clinton administration chose to act now before a possible George W. Bush administration could delay or kill them. (link is no longer available)

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics for 1998, the incidence rate for non-fatal occupational injuries and illnesses in hospitals was 8.4 cases per 100 full-time workers, compared with an average of 6.2 for the private sector. Nursing and personal-care facilities had an even higher rate of 13.8%.

According to American Nursing Association, nurses miss more work from musculoskeletal disorders than workers in any other industry, including construction. Here is a related story from July 2000 from the nurses.com web site.

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