After nearly 15 years of work and near completion of a national ergonomics standard, on October 29, 2003, the National Safety Council (NSC) surrendered its sponsorship of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) Ergonomics Standard (Z365). By withdrawing its sponsorship of the standard and the almost impossible task of finding another sponsoring organization, the standard-setting activity ends. In claiming that the continuation of its sponsorship presented a serious financial burden, the NSC has bowed to the pressures and desires of many employers (such as IBM, Anheuser-Busch companies, Fed-Ex, UPS, and Emerson Electric) and their representative organizations (such as the National Coalition on Ergonomics, The United States Chamber of Commerce, the National Association of Manufacturers, the Association of American Railroads, and the Food Marketing Institute) to not pursue the development and completion of a national ergonomics standard. This decision, which was opposed by the majority of the members of the committee, including all of the labor representatives, has been viewed as short-sighted and solely in the interests of that portion of the business community that has refused to acknowledge the importance of workplace ergonomics. Of particular concern, the NSC’s action brings into the question its degree of commitment to worker safety and health. Click to continue »