The guidelines are part of the administration’s feeble plan to replace mandatory Clinton-era ergonomics standards -- which were repealed by Congress at the urging of the Bush administration -- with a series of unenforceable guidelines targeted at specific industries.
OSHA previously released guidelines for nursing homes, and plans to target poultry processing and shipyard workplaces next.
Meanwhile, a work group under the National Advisory Committee on Ergonomics recently expressed interest in formulating generic guidelines for employers not singled out by OSHA to help them develop their own ergonomics plans, according to BNA's Daily Report for Executives, a Washington trade publication.
OSHA will be
accepting comments on the draft grocery store guidelines through July 8.