After eight years of political battles, OSHA unveiled a standard that would require many employers to institute workplace ergonomics programs, which, depending on circumstances, will range from performing employee education to modifying job tasks to providing different workstations or equipment.
In spite of renewed calls for regulatory measures, OSHA's Mr. Barab said it will be years before the agency settles on a new combustible-dust standard, a key regulatory measure recommended by the U.S. Chemical Safety Board, a separate government agency.