Politics

Bush Scraps Work Rules

By CBSNews.com staff CBSNews.com staff

March 6, 2001 / 2:55 PM EST / CBS

President Bush Tuesday signed a bill overturning Clinton-era workplace rules aimed at preventing injuries that big business claimed were too costly to implement.

"There needs to be a balance between and an understanding of the costs and benefits associated with federal regulations," Mr. Bush said in a statement. "The ergonomics rule would have cost both large and small employers billions of dollars and presented employers with overwhelming compliance challenges."

The measure cleared the House and Senate in March on largely party-line votes.

During the debate, Republicans characterized the rules as burdensome, confusing and unfair. Democrats and organized labor protested vociferously that big business was cutting corners on workers' health.

"We have a new rule that's been promulgated that would cause extreme damage to our workplace," Rep. Anne Northup, R-Ky., said during House debate.

Democrats argued otherwise, claiming the GOP was a puppet of big business.

"We heard the same voices … when they opposed the OSHA program," Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., said of the workplace safety agency created amid political controversy almost three decades ago. "Well, I'll tell you this: It's reduced the number of deaths in the workplace by half."

The regulations could have forced companies to alter workstations, redesign facilities or change tools and equipment once employees are found to suffer work-related injuries.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has estimated the rules would cost businesses about $4.5 billion in compliance costs but would result in $9 billion in savings by reducing injuries. Officials say 1.8 million workers in the United States have injuries related to ergonomics, with 600,000 missing work each year as a result.

Business groups put the cost of compliance much higher, at more than $90 billion a year. They also opposed a measure that would have granted full pay and benefits for 90 days to workers with repetitive-motion injuries who get put on temporary work restrictions. Workers temporarily removed from their jobs would have received 90 percent of pay and 100 percent of benefits.

Labor Secretary Elaine Chao has said she will pursue a new "comprehensive approach" to dealing with workplace injuries caused by repetitive motion.

Chao, in a letter sent to Sen. James Jeffords, R-Vt., chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, said she would consider new regulations "that will provide employers with achievable measures that protect their employees before injuries occur."