Prevention strategies for musculoskeletal disorders: NIOSH, OSHA and ANSI in the U.S

Details

• Personal Author:
  Putz-Anderson, Vernon
• Description:
  As a society, we now accept that occupational illness is a social problem. This recognition is the product of our awareness and conviction that occupational injuries and illness are not random and unavoidable by-products of work. Many of the hazards that we know today were recognized long ago by workers, employers, and the medical and safety community. What is new is the recognition that many workplace hazards can be minimized through controls and preventive efforts. Our commitment as a Nation to the prevention of workplace injuries and illnesses was formalized more than 20 years ago in the enactment of Public Law 91-596, better know as the "Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970." The Act clearly stated our goals as a society: "To assure safe and healthful working conditions for working men and women; by authorizing enforcement of the standards developed under the Act; by assisting and encouraging the States in their efforts to assure safe and healthful working conditions; by providing for research, information, education, and training in the field of occupational safety and health; and for other purposes." From this Act, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) was established in the Department of Labor. OSHA' s functions include setting mandatory safety and health standards, inspecting workplaces, leveling penalties for violations, and providing education. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) was also created by the Act. NIOSH is a research agency and part of the Centers for Disease Control within the Department of Health and Human Services. NIOSH functions ihclude conducting research to develop criteria, recommending this criteria to OSHA for standard setting, and providing professional education and dissemination of health and safety information. The challenge today- as it was 20 years ago-is to maintain our commitment to the goals of this Act. The debate centers on the methods by which we bridge the gap between "an awareness of emerging occupational hazards" and the "actions deemed necessary to eliminate them." Moreover, whenregulatory activity in the form of standards is contemplated, it becomes clear that work-place hazards not only pose a threat to our nation's health, but also pose significant political and economic challenges for our society. Both OSHA and NIOSH staff are currently striving to meet those challenges in developing a proposed ergonomic standard for reducing work-related rriusculoskeletal disorders. Although ergonomics was not explicitly identified in the Act, Section 6(b )(5) provides the following authority: ''The Secretary, in promulgating standards dealing with toxic materials or harmful physical agents ... shall set the standard which most adequately assures, to the extent feasible, on the basis of the best available evidence that no employee will suffer material impairment of health or functional capacity even if such employee has regular exposure to the hazard dealt with by such standard for the period of his working life. Development of standards under this subsection shall be based upon research, demonstrations, experiments, and such other information as may be appropriate .... Whenever practical, the standard promulgated shall be expressed in terms of objective criteria and of the performance desired." [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Education Ergonomics Hazardous Substances Health Promotion Musculoskeletal Diseases Musculoskeletal System Occupational Health Preventive Medicine Safety Staff Development Workplace

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• Keywords:
  Control Systems Hazards Health Programs Health Protection Injuries MSD Musculoskeletal System Disorders Physical Agents Preventive Medicine Safety Measures Safety Programs Toxic Materials Training Work Environment Workers

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• ISBN:
  9780969854404
• Publisher:
  Human Factors Association of Canada
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Proceedings
• Place as Subject:
  Ohio ; OSHA Region 5
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  DBBS - Division of Biomedical and Behavioral Sciences
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  141-143
• Volume:
  1
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20048566
• Citation:
  IEA '94, proceedings of the 12th Triennial Congress of the International Ergonomics Association, August 15-19, 1994, Toronto, Canada, Volume 1: International Perspectives on Ergonomics. Mississauga, Ontario, Canada: Human Factors Association of Canada, 1994 Aug; 1:141-143
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  1994
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Source Full Name:
  IEA '94, proceedings of the 12th Triennial Congress of the International Ergonomics Association, August 15-19, 1994, Toronto, Canada, Volume 1: International Perspectives on Ergonomics
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:5bf9f78172577d9755d2201899e6e2e98a116bfc1407e2cd0eaede95917e9970698b2f739727927f7ca9883ae90c4451e171bdbf35e6e47d6e56f32e665360bf
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/203289/cdc_203289_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 151.92 KB ]