LANSING – A draft series of potential ergonomic standards, that business organizations have warned could be devastating to business development in Michigan, have now gone to two state commissions for review.
At a joint meeting of the General Industry Safety Standards Commission and the Occupational Health Standards Commission, the proposed standards on the ergonomics standards were reviewed and then submitted to the two bodies for further review and possible amendment.
While businesses have been death on the proposed standards, supporters have argued that many workers have been suffering from repetitive motion injuries that could be avoided with better ergonomic standards.
The General Industry Safety Commission is next scheduled to meet and comment on the drafts on October 8, while the Occupational Health Safety Commission will meet November 5. After the commissions finish with the draft rules they will go to the department for review and action.
The rules have been under review for six years, and there have been efforts in the Legislature to block the rules.
A number of business groups testified on the draft. Charles Owens with the National Federation of Independent Business urged the rules process be restarted, charging that public hearings should have been held before there was ever a charge to begin the process of developing the proposed rules.
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