New ergonomic standards for the state of Michigan have resumed discussion, with public hearings to be scheduled within the next 90 days. The standards proposed by Michigan OSHA are a hot topic to Michigan employers with an exception of construction, agriculture, mining, domestic employment and jurisdictions administered by the Federal Railroad Administration.
Within these standards, employees will be required to be given ergonomic awareness training on:
- Ergonomic occupational risk factors
- Signs/symptoms that help to identify if an ergonomic hazard may be present
- Ergonomic hazard reporting and process
- Assessing and responding to ergonomic risk factors
These standards advise a stricter compliance to ergonomics than federal regulation. Concern focuses on the economic impact the standards may cause on the already down-trodden state economy.
For more information, read Michigan’s Ergonomics War Set to Resume by Jerry Laws in the Feb. 1, 2010 edition of OH&S
