CONGRESS THROWS OUT ERGONOMICS REGS.

In March, the U.S. Congress overturned the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's ergonomics regulations that were passed at the end of President Clinton's term.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce called the new rules "the most burdensome regulation in the history of the U.S. government." They were to take effect Jan. 16 but employers were not obligated to comply until October.

Under the regulations, businesses would have been required to provide employees with information about ergonomic injuries and their symptoms and employees whose physical disorders were caused by their job would have been entitled to medical attention and time off.

Under the Congressional Review Act, Congress is allowed to kill regulations within 60 legislative days of final issuance. President Bush signed the repeal measure into law March 20.