Ergonomics regulation could become a factor in the 2004 presidential elections as nearly all of the Democratic presidential candidates are taking a pro-regulation stance regarding federal ergonomics involvement.
According to an article published earlier this summer in The Hill, eight of the nine Democrats vying for the party’s nomination stated that they believed ergonomics regulations, in some capacity, would benefit the nation’s workers.
While some congressional Democrats voted to overturn OSHA’s ergonomics standard in 2001, The Hill reported that the dissenting votes were primarily based on the previous standard being “too far reaching.” However, most of the Democrats who voted against the standard also voted in favor of legislation that would have required OSHA to develop a new standard within two years.
The Hill noted that in a time when criticism abounds regarding indistinguishable party lines, ergonomics is a “standout” issue. Every Republican in Congress at the time of the vote voted to overturn the standard. However, each of the current Democratic candidates for president who was serving in Congress at the same time voted in favor of keeping OSHA’s ergonomics rule.
Source: The Hill