The drawn-out debate on ergonomics may end up being brushed aside as Congress heads home after passing a continuing resolution this morning to keep government in operation until November 14th. While politicians leave Washington for the final days of campaigning, OSHA is still on course for publication of the final standards in the next coming weeks.
The Congressional Quarterly reported that OSHA intends to publish the final ergonomics standard into the Federal Register as early as mid-November. They predict that once it is published, it will be much more difficult for the next administration to block the regulations.
The Labor-HHS spending bill has not been finalized largely due to disputes on the proposed ergonomics standards. Republicans claim it will hurt small businesses while Democrats argue for worker protection.
Speaker J. Dennis Hastert, Ill., commented on the bill,