OSHA unveiled its "comprehensive plan" for repetitive-motion injuries last spring, more than a year after Congress repealed mandatory Clinton-era ergonomics standards at the urging of President Bush. This feeble “replacement plan” called for a series of unenforceable guidelines targeted at specific industries, of which the nursing home guidelines are the first. Draft guidelines for grocery stores are expected to be available for public comment by the end of March.

Nursing home workers suffer from one of the highest workplace injury rates of any occupation, according to the AFL-CIO. The new guidelines offer tips on lifting and moving patients to avoid strain and repetitive stress injuries but do not require employers to take action. “Voluntary guidelines will not do enough to protect workers and residents from injury. Nursing home work is so crippling that safety guidelines need to be mandatory,” according to the Service Employees International Union (SEIU).

OSHA’s guidelines are being shaped by the newly-formed National Advisory Committee on Ergonomics, which has been stacked with seven management representatives.