Debate centers on whether or not a state ergonomics panel has the right to continue work on drafting a standard, according to the American Industrial Hygiene Association. The legislature included language in the recent appropriations bill that prohibits Michigan OSHA (a state-run program) from spending any money to continue its work. The governor signed the budget bill, but has now declared this language within the bill “unconstitutional.â€
So the panel pushes on with its work while opponents of an ergonomics standard contend the language is legal and are weighing their options.