PRINTER'S NO. 894
No. 50 Session of 2001
INTRODUCED BY TARTAGLIONE, WAGNER, LAVALLE, LOGAN, KUKOVICH,
COSTA, STOUT, BELL, BODACK, SCHWARTZ, KITCHEN, BOSCOLA,
MUSTO, HUGHES, STACK, WILLIAMS AND MELLOW, APRIL 12, 2001
REFERRED TO INTERGOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS, APRIL 12, 2001
A RESOLUTION
1 Memorializing the Congress of the United States to revisit the
2 issue of musculoskeletal disorders and support meaningful
3 legislation that addresses this serious health issue that
4 affects millions of American workers.
5 WHEREAS, On-the-job activities such as heavy lifting and
6 repetitive motions and jobs where workers are exposed to force
7 and vibration or are required to adopt awkward posture can cause
8 musculoskeletal disorders such as back injuries and injuries to
9 the upper extremities; and
10 WHEREAS, Musculoskeletal injuries are a major problem across
11 every sector of our economy, as meat-packing workers, poultry
12 workers, nurses, cashiers, assembly-line workers, computer
13 users, truck drivers, stock handlers, sewing machine operators
14 and construction workers are among the groups most commonly
15 affected by musculoskeletal disorders and ergonomic injuries;
16 and
17 WHEREAS, Musculoskeletal disorders account for nearly one-
18 third of all serious job-related injuries in the United States
1 and impose an economic burden of $45 billion to $50 billion per
2 year; and
3 WHEREAS, Annually more than 2 million American workers suffer
4 from musculoskeletal disorders as a result of their jobs,
5 resulting not only in a high cost to employers but a high degree
6 of worker dissatisfaction and absenteeism; and
7 WHEREAS, The purpose of the Occupational Safety and Health
8 Adminstration (OSHA) ergonomics standard is to alleviate the
9 problems associated with work-related musculoskeletal disorders
10 without imposing an undue burden on employers; and
11 WHEREAS, The OSHA ergonomics standard will prevent more than
12 4.6 million injuries to members of our country's work force over
13 the next decade with a savings to employers throughout the
14 United States of over $9 million per year; and
15 WHEREAS, As the result of a ten-year public process initiated
16 by former Secretary of Labor, Elizabeth Dole, on November 14,
17 2000, OSHA issued its final ergonomics standard; and
18 WHEREAS, The Congress of the United States has voted to
19 repeal the ergonomic standard aimed at curbing repetitive motion
20 injuries; therefore be it
21 RESOLVED, That the Senate of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
22 memorialize the Congress of the United States to revisit the
23 issue of musculoskeletal disorders and support meaningful
24 legislation that addresses this serious health issue that
25 affects millions of American workers; and be it further
26 RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to
27 the presiding officers of each house of Congress and to each
28 member of Congress from Pennsylvania.
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