The United States Chamber of Commerce will hold a Forum entitled “Ergonomics in the 21st Century: Toward a New Paradigm” on September 12, 2008, in Washington, D.C.
The Forum has two purposes, according to an invitation circulated to interested parties. The meeting will serve to reconstitute and reenergize the National Coalition on Ergonomics, an industry sponsored group that was instrumental in defeating the previous Clinton era ergonomics regulation.
The invitation, sent by the United States Chamber of Commerce, states the Forum will also host two researchers who will “…unveil new research which further strengthens our argument against an ergonomics regulation. In short, while we previously argued that an ergonomics regulation was inappropriate because of too much uncertainty on whether the science supported it, we are now in a position to say WITH certainty that science and data DO NOT support such a regulation.”
The group believes changes in the US political landscape will bring an ergonomics regulation back to the forefront. The 2001 ergonomics regulation passed under the Clinton administration was overturned using the Congressional Review Act. According to the event announcement, “… the threat of a new ergonomics regulation has been kept in check by the Republican Congressional majorities and the Bush administration. But with the recent shift in power on Capitol Hill, and regardless of who wins the White House, issuing a new ergonomics regulation will once again become a hot issue. The fight will involve both OSHA and the Hill as Congress will have to expressly authorize a new regulation.”