Ergonomics Mania Headed Our Way.

THANKS TO THE Occupational Safety & Health Administration, we can expect to hear the word "ergonomics" and derivative terms like "ergonomically-friendly" batted about ad nauseum over the coming months. The ergonomics mantras will likely reach a fever pitch by the start of the International Woodworking Machinery & Supply Fair this August.

Opportunistic manufacturers and sellers of everything from portable power tools and spray guns to keyboard trays and fasteners will no doubt make a case for the ergonomic correctness of their products. Suppliers of material handling devices and feedthrough machines will tout how using their labor-saving technology will help wood products manufacturers comply with the comprehensive Ergonomics Program Standard being proposed by the Occupational Safety & Health Administration.

Not all of these claims will be pure marketing-inspired exaggeration. Yet, like the wide assortment of "Reduced Fat" labels that bombard us at the supermarket, some products will provide more ergonomic benefits than others. Trying to decipher what combination of changes in equipment, methods and work habits any given wood products manufacturer will have to make to prevent instances of low back pain, sciatica, tendonitis, carpal tunnel syndrome and other cumulative trauma disorders among its employees is the daunting and costly challenge that would be created by the OSHA Ergonomics Program Standard.

One area that will particularly give many wood products manufacturers fits to control is where portable sanding tools are used. Operators of this type of equipment frequently contend with bending, stretching, repetitive motion and tool vibration - each a potential cause of cumulative trauma disorders. To this end, portable power tool manufacturers have made strides to lower the weight and vibrations of their tools. The $64,000 question is whether these efforts are enough. If they are not, how much lighter and vibration-free can portable sanders be made and still perform the job for which they are intended?

More Questions Than Answers

OSHA says it has been studying ergonomics in the workplace for more than 20 years and that its proposed rule "relies on a practical, flexible approach that reflects industry best practices and focuses on jobs where problems are severe and solutions well understood."

Critics, including the 14,000-member strong National Assn. of Manufacturers, argue that OSHA's 1,500-page rule is too far reaching, too vague and places too much responsibility on business owners. Opponents are especially frustrated that the proposed standard fails to take into account employees' off-duty habits. (Did Joe wrench his back removing cabinet doors from the fiat line finishing system or from hauling rocks around his garden?)

Questions also arise as to whether there is a one-size-fits-all solution. For example, if one of two employees assigned the task of loading chair leg blanks is a head taller than his partner, what height should the hopper be set at to optimize the ergonomic impact on each of them?

Recently, OSHA, bowing to an intense letter-writing campaign by manufacturers, granted a 30-day extension to accepting comments on its proposal. Ideally, OSHA would postpone formalizing its standard until after the National Academy of Science completes its study on the causes of ergonomic injuries later this year. In view of the November general elections though, the likelihood of that happening is about the same as Donald Trump becoming president.

More on the Web

More than you would probably ever want to know about the proposed Ergonomics Standard is captured on OSHA's Web site: www.osha.gov. For a fuller perspective of NAM's views, visit www.nam.org/hpr.

If you are feeling haunted for having missed last month's Editor's Page, which also addressed OSHA's Ergonomic Standard, you can ward off the goblins by checking out the archives on our Web site, industrial Strength Woodworking, www.iswonline.com.

SPEAK OF THE DEVIL

IN MY FINAL column of the previous millennium, I predicted that the right to privacy, as it relates to the Internet, will provide fresh fodder for lawsuits that will ultimately wind their way to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Prime potential legal targets are Internet services that closely track and categorize who goes where on the Web. These services develop and sell lists and profiles of Web surfers on everything from shopping for furniture and electronics to booking vacation trips and seeking medical advice.

The ability for someone to use the Internet to pry into our lives was-made clearer by a recent e-mail I received with the heading "Investigate Anyone!!!" The brief note went on to explain how Cyber Investigator is the "EASY WAY TO FIND OUT ANYTHING ABOUT ANYONE."

"Cyber Investigator is an amazing new tool that allows you to find EVERYTHING you ever wanted to know about your EMPLOYEES, FRIENDS, RELATIVES, SPOUSE, NEIGHBORS, even your BOSS!"

Ironically, P.J. Software Co., "security software developers," concludes its message by saying that it "respects others right to privacy." If so, then get out of my e-mail box ... and stay out!