You probably didn't notice, but in April OSHA officially changed the status of its ergonomics standard-setting effort. The ergo rule has been moved on the agency's regulatory calendar from the 'proposed rule stage' to 'long-term action' item. There's no timetable for further work. It resides now in a regulatory twilight zone alongside plans for an indoor air quality standard, another issue relegated to 'long-term action.'
This is just the latest example of the twisting, tortured, one-step-forward, two-steps-back process that dogs standards-setting. Fixing the process is one of OSHA chief Charles Jeffress's top priorities. But Jeffress's spokesman, Stephen Gaskill, says his boss needs more time to develop a plan. "It's Charles's desire to fix the rulemaking process, but at this point it's premature to say anything," says Gaskill. "There's really nothing in place."