Senate ergo hearing: Sparks fly, confusion persists
Labor Secretary Elaine Chao donned her flak jacket and trekked to Capitol Hill April 18th to explain OSHA's recently announced ergonomics plan that relies on voluntary compliance to members of a Senate subcommittee on workplace safety, and to field questions from hostile Democrats who want OSHA to draft another ergo standard.
For a subcommittee hearing, an unusually high number of senators turned out - four Democrats and five Republicans - evidence that ergonomics is one of the hot labor issues in Washington these days. A C-SPAN camera was rolling. Reporters from the likes of the Gannet news service, Dow Jones news service, the Associated Press and the New York Times crowded the press table. Business lobbyists and union officials, injured workers, and reps from trade associations and professional societies watched the grilling.