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Washington, D.C.-President Colleen M. Kelley of the National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU) today strongly supported the decision by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to issue regulations designed to prevent ergonomic injuries. "There can be no higher priority in the workplace than the health and safety of those who work there," she said.

As the nation's largest independent union of federal employees, NTEU has been the leader in arguing for safety and health improvement, including the use of ergonomic furniture, in the federal workplace.

A number of NTEU-negotiated contracts contain provisions dealing with the issues, including agreements at the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services (SAMHSA) of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

While these provisions reflect an understanding on the part of agencies of the importance of ergonomics in the workplace, Kelley said, their implementation often is subject to budgetary constraints. "This shows the critical importance of Congress providing adequate funding to the

agencies," Kelley said. "That's the only real way this essential investment in worker health and safety and increased productivity can be made."

NTEU represents more than 155,000 employees in 25 agencies and departments. Kelley said the new OSHA regulations "make sense not just from the standpoint of improving the quality-of-worklife, but as an alternative to costly medical treatment" of ergonomic injuries.

Noting that the cost and impact of such injuries, affecting the hands, back and other portions of the musculokeletal system, have been documented and studied over at least the past 20 years, Kelley said "it is well past time for us to take this important step forward in protecting the health of America's working men and women, including federal employees. "

Even with OSHA's educational efforts and voluntary guidelines in years past, the NTEU president said, the safety and health agency's figures show that as recently as 1997, more than 626,000 ergonomic injuries occurred. She was critical of those in Congress who propose delay and further studies.

In issuing the regulations, OSHA projected that over the first 10 years of implementation, more than three million workdays lost to such disorders would be prevented in general industry.

OSHA has said that employers with ergonomic programs report a direct link in improved product quality, while leading to better employee health and safety and reduced turnover and absenteeism, along with lower product costs.

"It is clear that these standards make good sense, economically and otherwise," Kelley said.

These injuries are of particular concern to women, Kelley noted, pointing out that while women make up some 46 percent of the workforce, they suffer more than 62 percent of ergonomic injuries.