Labor Secretary Chao Pledges ‘Comprehensive Review’ of Ergonomics Standards
Labor Secretary Elaine Chao said Friday that her department will move to devise an ergonomics standard less "precipitous" than the regulations issued by the Clinton administration and overturned by Congress earlier this year, the Kansas City Star reports. Speaking in Kansas City, Mo., "primarily" to promote President Bush's energy plan, Chao said she would "listen to all the stakeholders" in the debate over workplace safety issues, adding, "I'm committed to a comprehensive review of ergonomic standards, and we have embarked on a very aggressive program." However, the Star reports that she "refuse[d] to set a timetable for new standards" (Stafford, Kansas City Star, 6/1). In March, President Bush signed legislation repealing regulations promulgated by the Clinton administration, calling them "unduly burdensome and overly broad (American Health Line, 3/21).
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